A girl, actually. Olivia Farnsworth, age 11. She is so mysterious because no one in the world, now, or throughout history, has ever had her condition. She is missing chromosome 6 – not too unusual, but she manifested all three possible symptoms. That makes Olivia Farnsworth unique.
As a baby, she never cried. At the age of six, she split open her lip. The doctors had to operate. Indifferent to the pain, Olivia was not given an anesthetic.
She was later hit by a car and dragged an estimated 100 feet (30 meters). Skin was ripped from her midsection and foot. Other than mild curiosity, Olivia was not amused. She got up and walked away. Symptom one.
After achieving the ripe old age of nine months, Olivia lost all desire to sleep. No naps. No need for bedtime stories. After three days and nights of continual activity, the doctors decided to give Olivia medication. At least her parents would be able to get some sleep. Fast forward another ten years and she is still on the medication. Otherwise, Olivia might never sleep. Symptom two.
Olivia did not like baby food. She wanted milk shakes. Only milk shakes. When she did not get one, Olivia would wait. She was not about to eat anything else. Her parents decided to withhold her meals, hoping that hunger would get her to eat something more nutritious. No, that didn’t work either. Olivia had no desire to eat – only to experience the joyful taste of sugar on her palate. Symptom three.
Today, Olivia, with medication, sleeps about six hours per night. No longer addicted to milk shakes, she is sticking with chicken soup; apparently fruits, vegetables and whole grains are still not to her liking. Occasionally violent, Olivia has no concerns about punching or kicking people. Unable to comprehend pain, she has no qualms about inflicting it on others. And her parents have to take Olivia to the doctor regularly, simply because she is unable to feel symptoms of illness.
What the future holds for Olivia as she experiences adolescence, adulthood and old-age is a mystery. Hopefully, her uniqueness will be a blessing.