I just finished watching three different shows-- Half Man, Half Tree, World's Smallest Kids and My Big Foot.

I thought the shows were a great concept and brought up some very interesting medical conditions but I really didn't think they ended well. They all seemed a little incomplete. I would have liked more information on how the man from Indonesia (Half Man show) and Vicki (from My Big Foot-- which was really foot and leg) were doing and how it ultimately worked for them since their conditions were ongoing.

Was it just me or was anyone else completely creeped out by the Big Foot's little girl KISSING her leg/foot? For the life of me, I can't understand the logic in that one.

I missed the Big Foot one (but I'm sure I'll catch a rerun), but I did see the Half Man, Half Tree. Man, that was amazing. I was slightly surprised that he hadn't taken the treatment, to date. I know the "freak show" he was doing was probably all he knew, in terms of a job, but that couldn't be comfortable, physically. All the people he toured with were such sad cases. The doctor listed what a few of them had, but not all. I was really curious about the one whose face seemed to be "melting" off. I know I've seen that before, on some other medical oddities show, but I couldn't remember what it was.

You should have a look at these links--- kind of interesting:

http://www.discoverychannel.co.uk/myshocki...oot/index.shtml

http://vickiborken.com/ (this is the big foot woman with the daughter)

And YES, I was totally creeped out. I could live with her talking to it..... but I thought when I learned her daughter bandaged it every day since she was THREE, I thought OMG what kind of therapy will she need for that? And when Vicki actually said for her to kiss it and that she did kiss it, ew ew ew. 1. Creepy 2. I am no medical expert, but if you have bacteria in there, why would anyone want to touch it with anything but gloved hands?



Yes, I was very interested about the "melting" faced person. I could swear the eye on the damaged side worked to a point. Also, I wonder how doctors can see that suffering and deal with not being able to treat them (or choosing not to treat them).

The Fattest Kids--
Corinna doesn't stand a snowball's chance in hell of keeping any weight off. She is extremely immature about her situation. As soon as her mother turned her back she was eating all the foods that she knows not to eat. I have real issues with a child getting liposuction when they can't even make proper food choices. I know she is a child but if she is old enough to undergo a major cosmetic surgery than she should be old enough to make better food choices even when no one is looking.

Corinna really needs to deal with the underlying issues of why she's overeating... stickin' it to her mom is NOT going to make her life better or easier. And, yes, I have issues with children getting cosmetic surgery and liposuction.

I really really hope that Corina and her mother decide to go for some family therapy. There was some f'ed up stuff going on there beyond the simple bratty kid/overworked mom stuff.

It was interesting, if not a bit disheartening in a way, to the see that the boys the show followed had great success on the boarding school (is that what it was?) program, while all Corina's mom could think to do was liposuction. While I'm glad that the doctor ultimately refused to treat her via cosmetic surgury, I don't understand why a physician would perform lipo on a teen in the first place beyond of course, a quick buck. It wasn't going to solve the problem at all.

I have a bit more sympathy for Corina than you do frees0809 if only because Corina isn't the one stocking the house with junk food and then wonders to the camera why her daughter is so overweight. Didn't the mom state that Corina's weight problem began at around 6? It seems to me what the kid is doing are some deep, ground in behaviours she learned before she was able to understand the consequences for them- and that isn't her fault.

Word. I found her melodramatic choking fit over having to eat a salad at dinner to be particularly telling. Needless to say, I was happy when the doctor refused to do the surgery, although I was bothered by him agreeing to do it in the first place. Aside from the fact that she's only 13, since when is liposuction a means for significant (80 lbs) weight loss? I would think the amount of blood and fluid loss in removing that much fat at one time would be incredibly dangerous which is why it's not widely done.

And based on her appearance, that girl with the bad hair extensions who had the liposuction and was Corrina's mentor looked like she had some serious issues outside of her weight.

I'm loving this series completely, although I do agree they are a little incomplete. The tree root looking guy was amazing, how in the world do they find these people?

I agree with the too young to be fat girls, Corinna just seemed like a spoiled brat who didn't like the taste of anything that was healthy. The mom seemed like a huge push over who just didn't like dealing with whining.

I don't even know where to begin with the big foot episode, how does someone live with that for so long and not go absolutely crazy?

Absolutely. There would be no way I'd put up with that unless I've gone to the doctors and they say they can't change it. I didn't quite understand why it took her so long to make the decision. Unless she has some sort of attitude where she feels this issue makes her "special".

This made the news late last year. The Tree Man agreed to receive treatment .

http://www.transworldnews.com/NewsStory.as...3570&cat=11

Wasn't that kid Garrett (at the fat camp) on another show? He looks awfully familiar.

Kudos to the doc who wouldn't perform lipo on such a young patient. I always thought lipo was to fix "problem" areas of patients who weren't too much overweight. The other lipo gal definitely needed therapy.

Great job - the AA kid - loved the family's home, he can have it all if he wants to. Hopefully he can keep the weight off and be a success like his dad.

Corina doesn't want to lose weight, she just wants to be thin. I get the feeling that she sees lipo has a quick fix and she doesn't have to do anything to help. The way that she piled all that food on her plate in the casino was very telling.

Oh, man, that 1/2 tree fellow broke my heart (& skwicked me out). Those things are warts??? Good gawd. I felll asleep before it was over. Did Dr Gaspari come back with a treatment plan?

And how were there, what 6 "freaks" in the local neighborhood? Seems high.

I don't see why she would need any therapy. It's just a giant foot, and more importantly it's her mother's foot and it's all she's ever known. If the situations were reversed and the little girl had a facial deformity (or a giant foot herself), would you be grossed out if her mother kissed her? I'd guess (and hope) that it would be more horrifying if her mother didn't kiss her face just because it had a deformity--that would be something that would cause a kid to need lifelong therapy.

As for the bacteria-- it's been a couple of weeks since I originally saw this, but I thought the little girl kissed the bandages, not the leg itself? Or did she kiss the leg after it was cleaned? Regardless, I think whatever bacteria were in there would only be a danger to broken skin-- I don't think kissing would be too much of a danger.

I was hoping we would see more of a follow up for the Big Leg lady and family. I was rooting for her, her daughter and boyfriend. I was waiting to see her in the pool with her daughter. It's like they stopped filming too soon.

Half man/Half tree was bizarre. I still can't believe that warts could create that kind of growth. When the doc said to Dede and his brother in law that they could "trim" the growth I was waiting to see that. The doc said it wouldn't hurt, so I guess the growths at that stage were like a fingernail? Dede seems interested and asked his BIL to help, but his hands never looked smaller.

The doc did recommend a treatment plan. I think it was a medicinal treatment vs. a surgical treatment, but Dede declined. At least that was what was said at the end of the show. I think the freak show "managers" might have talked him out of it. Those managers were a piece of work.

I think they just stopped by to pick up Dede on their way to perform in the city. They're probably from all over the country.

By the way, does anyone know if there's a web site or anything for that freak show? I know it was called the S___ Clan, maybe if I had that S-name I could Google it...

I too thought that Breezie had kissed her mom's leg when it was already bandaged but it's been a couple weeks since I saw it.

I've only seen 3 eps of this show (the big foot, half man half tree, and the overweight kids) and each one has moved me to tears. I'm so glad that Dede has agreed to receive treatment for his condition, thank you for the update!

It isn't the deformity itself to which I was referring. Some people who are forced into situations (for example, of caring for parents or being locked in closets) tend to have issues later on in life. It was never an issue with the actual deformity. It was all about ooze and gooze. As for kissing, I don't think kissing the bandages puts enough distance between the lips and the bacteria-- especially if it is oozy. And it is just odd to be kissing your mom's leg, deformity or not, IMHO.

I saw the little people last night. Poor Taylor...she is so stinkin' cute and was so sad to find out that the party she went so far to attend was a water party. I loved that she went to her school dance. I hope she gets to attend other events with kids her size so that she gets to dance and not feel as different.
I thought it showed a lot of spunk that she made her teachers aide stay away from her.

I would find it odd if an eight year old child kissed her mother's leg for no reason, particularly if the mother asked her to do so. But it wouldn't seem as weird if there were something wrong with the leg - if it were broken, for instance. Breezy's quick peck seemed more along the lines of "kiss and make it better" than anything else.

The fact that Breezy helps bandage her mom's leg isn't necessarily equivalent to child abuse, either. We don't know that Vicki forces her daughter to do this - it could be something Breezy wants to do. The giant leg probably doesn't seem strange or gross to her, since she's been around it her entire life.

Certain aspects of Vicki's situation seemed questionable. Why did she allow her condition to become so severe, for instance, although she'd been offered free medical helpin the past? Since Breezy is often hearing about her mother's big leg, and how it prevents Vicki from doing all the fun things they'd otherwise enjoy, what will she think once she gets older? Will she feel that Vicki chose to be disabled?

While it was good that Vicki had an able bodied boyfriend who could play with Breezy, that situation also made me a bit nervous. Vicki is quite incapacitated and often under the influence of pain medication. A sexual predator could easily take advantage of a young girl under those circumstances.

I was enthralled with Taylor and the little people. Taylor's fiestiness, intelligence, and honesty were great. She always let her feelings be known, from her dislike of certain clothing to her expressing she really didn't have fun at the dance. How can anyone complain when they see what this blessed girl goes through? She's such an inspiration. Would love to see more programs like this and follow-ups.

I had thought the same thing! He 'appeared' okay but as well all know looks can certainly be deceiving. I hope for the sake of Breezy that isn't the case.

I hope Vicki is still keeping up with her PT and wearing her compression garments. If she allows her foot to get back to the way it was before, I would seriously look into some sort of psych treatment. And I was a little confused as to why she couldn't receive treatment and had to have someone offer it at no cost. It is clear they are living far below the poverty level and having a serious medical condition I would think she would qualify for some sort of state assistance.

I thought Taylor's mother was really impressive. Jennifer showed a lot of sensitivity about the difficulties her daughter faced, but didn't let her sympathy prevent her from raising Taylor to be a good person. I think her parenting demonstrated a lot of wisdom and insight, and it showed in Taylor - she seemed like a wonderful girl.

I'm going to guess that the leg wasn't as big (since lymphedema is progressive) the first time she received free medical help, so when her mother had her medical issue, Vicky didn't continue because it wasn't as bad and she didn't understand it would continue to get worse and worse. As far as letting the condition become so severe, I think poverty plays a huge part. Vicky was very poor, and like a lot of these TLC shows (especially those programs with those children with face destroying tumors), medical care isn't financially possible or available and it's only when the condition becomes extremely deforming that a charitable organization finally steps in (like in Vicky's case) and these people are able to get care.

I hope Vicky kept up the treatment. The results were amazing for such a short period of time.

Upthread, someone linked to Vicki's personal website, which includes pictures of her leg around the time she first received free treatment. She was already experiencing significant disfigurement and disability because of her condition, and had not been able to work in several years. The website also mentions that she was hospitalized at least once a year with life threatening infections.

A lengthy explanation is given for Vicki's failure to go through with the first round of free treatment, citing family obligations and difficulty with transportation. While I'm sure those were major obstacles, it seems as if Vicki intentionally pushed her own treatment aside, rather than searching for a viable solution. Her condition was already extremely severe, and she had to know it would get worse.

Vicki appeared to be an intelligent, articulate person, and she came from an educated background. It's hard to believe that she did not understand that her condition was progressive, particularly as she experienced worsening symptoms. So I don't think any cultural, intellectual or language barriers prevented her from understanding the necessity of treatment.

In third world countries, medical conditions often go untreated until they become extremely severe. In lucky cases, a good Samaritan then steps in to help. But it is rare to see a person in the United States, even one as poor as Vicki, with such an extreme untreated deformity.



I hope so, too. With continued treatment, her quality of life would improve so much.

I felt so sorry for Taylor at Hannah's pool/birthday party. Especially since her Mom said that Hannah just wouldn't run off and leave her behind. That is so what happened. Hannah's family knew about Taylor's surgery. Why didn't they tell about the pool-style party and suggest a get together at a different time?



Ditto. Her sister's were very understanding, too. Going shopping together and doing her hair. I wonder why they don't look into having clothes handmade? Too costly?

The potential boyfriend was a cutie. And very sweet with him comments towards Taylor.

I think the show mentioned that even though its success has been proven, the massage/compression treatment for lymphedema isn't quite mainstream here in the States yet ([cynic]probably because it doesn't involve drugs or surgery[/cynic]), and is still considered by many in the medical establishment to be "alternative" medicine. If that's the case, then Medicaid (which she definitely would qualify for given her poverty level) most likely wouldn't cover it.

I wonder if it's similar in situation to how someone can become a bedridden super-obese person also seen on TLC shows sometimes. Eating issues aside, I think there has to be a huge level of denial and depression going on to let things go that much. In Vicki's case, I'd guess she was also so overwhelmed with dealing with money issues, family illness, etc. that she just couldn't handle facing her own health issue on top of that. While she seemed quite intelligent and articulate, she may be lacking in coping skills.

They said she was on high dose pain medicine - I think if she gets better - she knows the medicine goes away - and I think she is very addicted at this point in time - I expect to see her next on INTERVENTION.

This is from vicki's brother:

http://community.discoverychannel.co.uk/ev...602/m/585107492

Just gives a bit more info.

Actually the compression/massage has been the staple of lymphedema treatment in the US for the past 15 years so Medicaid should/would pay for it. I did find it weird that Vicki seemed so un-educated on the condition that she's had her whole life.

I agree that Vicky must have had other issues preventing her from getting treatment. Although she had to be seeing some kind of doctor in order to get the pain pills??

I felt so bad for Taylor though....is it uncomfortable to not be able to put your teeth IN your mouth?

I wondered about Taylor's teeth too, TinkyWinkyBinky. I missed all but the last 20 minutes of the show - was it mentioned that the teeth were part of the condition? The other kids didn't seem to have it. It seemed like it would make it terribly awkward to do a number of things. I wonder if they couldn't get orthodontic treatment for it?

There was actually another show on TLC that featured primordial dwarves. Profiled was the oldest living primodial dwarf, a woman in her 40s named Sharon. She also had 'normal' sized teeth, but it seems like the other children featured had teeth that were proportional to their size. Strange.

Though I'm certainly no expert on the subject, I also think the massage treatment is relatively mainstream. In fact, I remember watching a True Life episode in which people struggled with morbid obsesity and a woman suffering from lymphedema went every so often to have her leg massaged to cope with some of the swelling. And then soon after, I saw a sign for an office that specialized in massage therepy for the condition in few towns over for me. That seems to indicate to me that this isn't some "new-fangled" thing.

As far as I could tell, most of the other dwarves didn't have teeth that seemed out of the ordinary. I wonder if Taylor just had orthidonture problems that weren't caused by her dwarfism, though perhaps the condition was exasperated because of it.

I was surprised on the "Too Young to be Fat" show that Corinn's mom actually said "I don't think it's my fault. There's no blame in this, it just is." When her daughter can't bear to eat salad? Healthy eating habits are most definitely influenced by parents. If Corrin can't eat fruits and veggies (any of them) that is her mom's fault in my eyes. I don't like every veggie, but by being exposed to a variety in my lifetime, I know which ones I do like. That mom refusing to take "any" responsibility when that girl is only 13 is just plain sad and pathetic!!

I was surprised when Taylor was cooking, rather than standing on a step stool to be closer to the stovetop, she was standing on the open oven door. Since she only weighs 17 pounds and some oven doors like to pop up on their own, I thought that was really unsafe. She needs to get a step stool from the Roloffs.

I agree that Taylor's potential boyfriend was really cute and seemed to like Taylor.


I also liked how the mom focussed on giving Taylor a normal upbringing, like helping her call a boy, rather than always sheltering her.

I'm clearly a horrible person, but I just couldn't warm up to Taylor ... I usually am fascinated by the primordial dwarf episodes and I think they are really sweet ... but I felt that if Taylor had been a normal sized kid, she would be seen as a huge brat. She just seemed to complain about EVERYTHING. Granted, she can be cut some slack ... but there just seemed to be a huge contrast between her and other kids we've seen on TV in her predicament. I did like her family and her best friend. Very, very good support system.

I think due to her size - it was hard to remember that she was 14. While I don't recall if they mentioned it - if she was in puberty (chemically) ALL 14 year old girls might be seen as huge brats who complain about everything.

Signed,
Former 14 Year Old Girl

I've seen a few other TLC specials on primordial dwarfism, and I think I recognized some of the people at Taylor's party. Wasn't Kenadie (sp?) there - the toddler girl from Canada? I thought Kristen was also there - the 20-something woman whose brother passed away from the same condition. It's nice that there is a network so that people with that condition don't feel so alone.

IIRC, Sharon, the oldest primordial dwarf, had very large buck teeth, which, along with the high squeaky voices, seems to be one of the effects of primordial dwarfism. I can't believe how rude people were when they were pointing at Taylor when she was in the mall. Leave the girl in peace!! Were these people ever taught basic manners?

I agree that this was at least partially due to her being a young teenager, most of whom think the world is against them. Also, the tiny voice I think made the whining a little more grating than it would usually be. I felt like the mom may have indulged the complaining and sulking a little too much, but that has to be soooo difficult to tell when your chronically ill child is really suffering or when she's just being a brat.

The potential boyfriend sure thought he was hot shit, huh? I thought it was hilarious that he was so uber-confident about asking Taylor out and she was all, "Meh." Still, he was a cutie pie.

If I remember correctly, another TWOPper, in another thread about primordial dwarfism, said that it is difficult to orthodontia work because although the teeth are "normal" size the jawbone is now. Something about not having anything to anchor the braces to.

Taylor was a typical 14 year old girl. Her friend, Hannah, was having similar attitude especially when being told not to call her friend "skinny."

And some of the others at the party looked familiar. Both from other specials about primoridial dwarfism and seeing them on the sidelines at the LP convention on the Roloff tv show.

You'd be shocked at how many doctors have no clue about this type of therapy and their response is low salt diet and elevate the affected limb. Medicare/Medicaid pays some of the cost. If you're poverty level, you can't afford the extra cost. She would also need specially sized compression garments; she can't just go grab them online or at a medical supply store. Patients have to fight to get the cost covered. Also, some people with chronic illnesses just don't want to know about the disease, they just want treatment or pretend it's not that big of a deal. It's not unusual for people to be uneducated about their own diseases.

I was absolutely disgusted with the 13 year old who wanted lipo. Her and her mother. And don't get me started on her "mentor" who seems to think skinny=skank.

Add me to the list of those who were put off by Corinne and mom on the overweight-kids special. The purpose of their family vacation was supposedly to "give Corinne a chance to get healthy". Yet the mom gets drunk and hangs out at the casino all day, while her daughter (and her sister? friend?) drowns her disappointment in fried food at the buffet. Healthy vacation, yeah right.

I hated Corinne's mentor too. Ugh, all I could focus on was her pancake makeup, airheaded banter and that bizarre lisp. And when she was asking Corinne, "do you think people look at you differently because you're fat?" I got the impression that the mentor was being seriously condescending and actively encouraging Corinne's self-doubt. I don't understand why the girls didn't try for gastric bypass rather than liposuction? Seems like the former would force the girls to think differently about their eating habits and possibly stay healthy in the long run.

OneLastRefrain, I'm not going to let you feel like a horrible person all by yourself! I also "couldn't warm up" to Taylor (I like how nicely you said that!) I even thought during the show "if she was normal sized, I'd never watch her on anything..." She started the show saying "I like it when people treat me like I'm big" -- but what 14 year old would say it like that? Rather than "treat me like an adult" or "treat me like I'm average sized". I think she does get treated like a small child and acts like one accordingly. I know it would be hard not to treat her like a child, not only because of her size, but her voice. And for safety, they often have to carry her, so I can understand how it happens. But I still didn't care for Taylor. I liked seeing the kids we had seen on other shows though. Kenadie is so darn cute!

I wonder why they can't at least cap the teeth when they are so out of proportion to the mouth. You know, cap them with smaller teeth? I know there would still be an overbite, but its seems it would look better and possibly be more comfortable?

I was actually concerned about Taylor's overbite/underbite. I realized it wasn't due to her dwarfism (I'd seen other primordial dwarf shows), but it seemed like it might help with self confidence. Not that she seemed really low it in, especially given what she's been through. I was also concerned with how thin she was - her arms and legs looked skeletal. The other dwarfs weren't that bony. I felt bad for her when not only did she have to buy toddler clothes but that even that bathing suit looked big on her. I agree with the others that were impressed with her family. That's got to be a big reason why she seemed to cope so well, overall.

As for the big foot lady. I agree with most of what's already been said here. So I'll just comment on a couple of other things. 1) In genernal, it amazes me that a disease or disorder so disfiguring and painful can be helped with massage and really tight bindings. I understand how it works and all, I just think it's interesting. 2) The doctors mentioned the fungus on her toes. They didn't seem to anything about it. I thought an anti-fungal was in order. I know it developed because of the stagnant fluids, but it seemed odd to leave it. Will it go away on it's own as her ankle and foot get smaller and lymph circulation is better?

Did anyone watch this last night? The title was 'World's Smallest Mom'. It was about this 20 year old woman named Christiane with a rare form of dwarfism that only allowed her to grow to 2'9". She had a four month old baby girl who had inherited the condition. Her boyfriend was seriously so amazing, basically taking care of her and the baby. I really really tried to like Christiane; in the solo interviews she was fine but any time she was around her family she WHINED like nobody's business. At times I had to change the channel because of it. omg.

Tinky
I only caught a few minutes of that episode. I thought she was much younger since she acted like a brat when they were bowling. I was surprised she was a mother due to her attitude, not size. And it bothered me when he would pull her by the arm, sorta caveman style.

I hear you. In the bowling scenes I wanted to just smack her. She sounded like a whiny, bratty, adolescent with baby voice. At first I thought that it was just for the cameras, but she spoke like a normal adult when she was with the other little people mothers, the pediatrician, or other one on one situations. It was sort of icky, because it was as if she was infantilizing herself for her boyfriend. "Drag ME!" "I suck at bowling." Just - no.

I'm so glad I'm not the only one who thought this! I seriously had myself thinking I was a terrible person, that I couldn't find a shred of empathy for her and her shrill demands. "Drag me!" "Move so I can see!" Jeez, whatever happened to "please"?

I did feel bad, though, watching her reading those horrible message board posts. Some of the comments were just nasty.