Miss Sunny – a wise woman in a child’s body (4 photos)

Being petite is the dream of many women. But, as they say, be careful what you wish for, because sometimes they come true. Not at all as we would like.





However, this girl did not have time to dream about what she would become when she grew up. Because the baby's growth stopped when she was only six months old.



Despite the name Medusa, the girl had nothing in common with the formidable character of Greek myths - the creepy Gorgon with snakes instead of hair, whose gaze turned a person into a stone statue. But the heroine of myths and a real person had one similar feature: both were very strange.

Medusa Van Allen was born in Ohio on March 19, 1908. At about 6 months, the baby's body growth stopped forever. Only the head continued to grow. Because of the problem, the girl could neither sit nor stand, only lie down. The doctors threw up their hands and could not do anything about her strange condition.





When Medusa became an adult, her head reached normal size, but her body remained like that of a baby. At the same time, Medusa’s intellect was completely preserved, and thanks to the teacher hired by her parents, she was able to master the basic course, and then continued to develop intellectually on her own, reading books of different genres and even trying herself at writing.

In the 1930s, she was exhibited as one of the wonders in Ripley's Show. In a brochure advertising her at exhibitions, Medusa wrote: “I enjoy life just as much as any normal person, and find it filled with truly worthwhile pleasures.”

When the girl was asked if she would like to change places with an ordinary person, if such an opportunity presented itself, she answered with a categorical refusal:

In no case. I can't move my body except my head, and I still wouldn't want to trade places with an ordinary girl. Having never been able to move around like others, I would be completely lost if I could do what others do. I know that I will never be able to move, and naturally I rarely think about it.



Medusa's role in the circus was unusual. The baby was carried onto the stage in their arms by other participants in the show, rocking him to sleep like an ordinary child and quietly humming a lullaby. And then she began to talk, talking about life, the world, philosophy and literature, plunging the audience into shock with the combination of the seemingly incompatible - the appearance of a child and the deep mind of an educated adult woman.

Medusa wrote a short autobiography in which she shared with readers her thoughts about the world and human capabilities in it. Unfortunately, the life of the bright artist, whom her colleagues affectionately called “Little Miss Sunshine,” as expected, turned out to be short. Van Allen died of cardiac arrest during her regular tour. The woman was only 35 years old, but during her short life she managed to demonstrate to the world the strength and fortitude of her spirit and show others that there is always hope.