Christine Rosa Paschetti here.  Thought I'd tell you more about my duaghter, Brittyn Hope, who is sixteen (but appears no older than the age of one year).  She is simply amazing; she's taught me so much about life!

My daughter was born seemingly healthy; however, she never grew.  Even though she is sixteen now, she is only as large as a one-year-old toddler.  She wears toddler-sized clothing and can still ride in a baby stroller or in a infant car seat.  She is, on the other hand, a typical teenager:  she loves texting her friends, playing on the computer, reading, writing stories or poetry, and hanging out with her friends after school.  She is in the gifted/talented class at her school; she gets high grades in all of her classes.

Brittyn can walk (with a wheeled walker); however, she cannot talk.  That's never stopped her before:  she's very good at getting her point across, thanks to her expressive face, gestures, or sounds (her sounds are happy or sad, depending on her mood). 

Brittyn has an unnamed "syndrome" that is very rare.  I've only heard of one other person who has something similar to what my daughter has, and she's a teenager as well.  She is sixteen, too, like Brittyn, and like my daughter, she is only as big as a baby and has a peculiar mix of abilities and disabilities.

We have gone from doctor to doctor, trying to "pin" down a name for what Brittyn has; we have not had any luck.  Her syndrome is that rare; nobody has ever heard of it.  It's really frustrating to see what's going on and not knowing if what she has is treatable, fatal, or something that could be passed down to future generations among our familial tree.

All we can do is love her, help her if she has any problems, or make her life as normal as possible, even though her life is anything but.

In just a few weeks, Brittyn will be a junior in high school.  We don't doubt for a second that she will continue to do well in all of her subjects.   I just hope that the kids or teachers are easier on her this time around:  she is subjected to so many comments or stares from others, and it makes her (and us) very uncomfortable.  If they could just learn to see her as I do (a normal child/teenager), then the world would be a lot better place for all of us!

Well, Brittyn is screeching again (her way of calling me), so I will see what she wants.  Maybe she's bored, or maybe she wants to sit in her wheelchair and look out the window.   Or maybe she wants to text her friends and see if they can come over, and perhaps scare up something to do.  I will write again soon; until then, this is Christine Paschetti signing off!  God bless and take care; talk to you soon!

~Love, your friend, Christine Rosa, Brittyn's momma.  :)