Zara is not quite a full fledge teen yet, but she looks older than her 21 year old and 16 year old siblings. She also looks older than most of her friends’ grandparents. Zara suffers from lipodystrophy, a genetic disorder that causes the supporting fatty tissue under the skin to crumble while the skin continues to grow.
Zara’s condition, Congenital Generalized Lipodistrophy, is extremely rare, only about 2,000 people in the entire world have been diagnosed. It is also associated with insulin resistance, diabetes, a high triglyceride level and fatty liver. The loss of subcutaneous fatty tissues happens at different rates – Zara’s entire family suffers from the disease but her symptoms are far more serious than her older siblings. Zara looked like a grown up by the time she was ten. Now she struggles to convince bus drivers that she deserves the youth rate, not the senior discount.
Being a teenager is hard enough when you don’t look like you’re middle aged. Zara suffers constantly from peer abuse – “[They] call me Grandma,” she told NBC news. She’s constantly afraid that taunting will turn into beatings. Zara tries to be brave, but she already finds it hard to get out of bed four days a week. Her mother fears a lifetime of low self esteem and insecurity for her daughter. Her own life has been a struggle with the same issues, part of the reason why her children all products of different bad relationships.
There’s no cure for lipodystrophy, but cosmetic surgery can help. Unfortunately, it’s not an option for the Hartshorns, who are on public assistance. Zara hopes that someday she’ll be able to have the surgery though, and perhaps find some new confidence.
