The Girl Who Never Feels Full

The Girl Who Never Feels Full

Tuesday, December 4, 2007

Due to a rare disorder called Prader Willi Syndrome, Hannah's hunger can't be satisfied.

After six-year-old Hannah McGhee finishes every last morsel of her dinner, she feels hungry again. And after she has another snack, she's famished once more. In fact, this little girl never feels full or satisfied, no matter how much she eats. CBS-11 in Dallas, Texas, recently featured McGhee, who was born with Prader Willi Syndrome, a rare, genetic, non-inherited defect that causes immense hunger and other symptoms. This disorder affects one in 12,000 children. Because of a defect on the 15th chromosome (the chromosome that controls hunger), people with Prader Willi Syndrome never feel full. This unregulated appetite usually presents itself when the child is between 2 and 6 years old. Children with Prader Willi are also born with low muscle tone and most have developmental problems. They're also at high risk for morbid obesity.

Our heart goes out to Hannah and her family. While there is currently no cure for Prader Willi Syndrome, we hope one will soon be found. If you or your child has been affected by Prader Willi Syndrome, share your story in our community.

8 comments so far | Post a comment now >>

Maybe if Hannah got her fat butt off the couch once in awhile and got some exercise, she wouldn’t be such a lardass. Genetic condition my foot.

- Anonymous

Posted 12/04/07 04:51 PM

Wow - you’re evil - and stupid too - you must make your mother proud. On another note - many years ago I knew a woman who provided weekend relief for a family with a child with Prader Willi Syndrome - and when they say these children eat anything - they mean anything. All the cupboards had to be locked, the fridge bolted, the garbage can tied down - and if you weren’t looking, the child would eat dirt. She could never, ever be left alone.

- Ladyblue

Posted 12/04/07 05:45 PM

I cannot get over the fact that you felt saying what you said is ok. Do you say that children with downs or mental retardation need to pick up a book more and shut off the tv more? It is clear that you are a very uneducated person. If you read up a bit on Prader Willi Syndrome you will learn that it is something very sad. Most of these children grow up with the fridge locked and all the food locked up. As adults they have to be watched all the time. It is very sad, and very unreal that even after it was posted as a syndrome you would say it is due to being lazy…

- newmommy

Posted 12/04/07 06:43 PM

Ladies… whoever made that rude comment is obviously an idiot. And everyone knows you can’t reason with an idiot. I hope that one day, there will be a cure, or at the very least, treatment, for this disease.

- April

Posted 12/04/07 07:38 PM

Maybe one day you’ll be shoving your own delusional words in your own mouth -and possibly come down with a genetic condition. Karma has a way of sneaking around the corners!

- Cindy

Posted 12/04/07 09:25 PM

Some people’s ignorance (NO NAME)used to get me PO’d, but now; for their child,s sake,I just hope they never have a child with special needs. My six yr old daughter has PWS and is followed by 18 doctors in 5 different cities, 10 that she sees at least once a year. I assume NO NAME will be one of the expert speakers at the 2008 PWSA-USA conference since he wasn’t at the 2007 conference. http://www.pwsausa.org/conference/index.htm You may want to check out the entire PWSA-USA web site before making any future comments about a topic you obviously know nothing about.

- PWS Dad

Posted 12/04/07 09:41 PM

i think my son may have this what do i do to start getting him help can any one help ?

- lisa

Posted 03/12/08 05:06 AM

My son is nine years old and he has just about every symptom of prader willi, except that when they did the blood test on him he did not have it. I am wondering if there is something else he could have; hungry all of the time, never feels full, diagnosed with hypotonia, small genitals and developmental problems.

- Amanda

Posted 12/07/08 09:48 PM