Girl With Overgrown Tongue

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Two-year-old Olivia Gillies
 

According to this article, two-year-old Olivia Gillies was born with an unusual birth defect that caused her tongue to grow uncontrollably. After her third smile, she can finally smile, as pictured above. She was born with Beckwith-Wiedemann Syndrome, a genetic condition that can cause, among other symptoms, "overgrowth," of a particular body part. Doctors believe the dangerous symptom of her condition is under control. "We were warned her tongue would be up to three times the size of a usual newborn baby and would keep growing. Nobody could tell us how big it would get. We were terrified," said by Emma Gillies, Olivia's mother. Olivia's tongue was oversized and could not fit in her mouth when she was born, and she had to be fed through a tube. She was kept in the hospital for six weeks after she was born. Her tongue continued to grow, eventually becoming so large that it made it difficult to breath. She had to be readmitted to the hospital for a tracheotomy - a surgery which would cut a hole into her neck to help her breathe. Eventually her breathing had stabilized and after her third surgery her tongue has stopped swelling and she can finally smile. Because Beckwith-Wiedemann is a genetic condition, there is no cure for it. Those with the condition can live long, healthy lives by treating individual symptoms of the condition.

Emily and Olivia Gillies when she was first born (left) when her tongue was overgrown. Olivia Gillies (right) after her third surgery, she can finally smile.