Shauna Rae, a 22-year-old woman, shares her life story where people constantly treat her like a little girl. But she is, in fact, a mentally healthy adult who is "stuck" in the body of an eight-year-old. Her story is documented in the reality show on TLC, "I Am Shauna Rae."
Shauna Rae survived brain cancer as a baby, but the after-effect caused her pituitary gland to go almost dormant and prevented her from growing.
TLC
She was only six months old when the doctor diagnosed her with a rare form of brain cancer. She recovered after going through chemotherapy sessions.
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She said, "If you were to look at me, you would think I'm just a normal little girl, doing normal little girl things with my fun, crazy family."
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"But the truth is I'm not a little girl. I'm a woman; a 22-year-old woman stuck in the body of an eight-year-old."
While she recovered from cancer, her body almost stopped growing as she explains, "My pituitary gland was rendered almost dormant because of the chemotherapy."
"The doctor told me I was done growing. My bones were fused, and my height is 3 feet and 10 inches."
Shauna's mother shared that she felt "almost guilty" as she will have to endure a lifetime of hardship due to her appearance.
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TLC
TLC
Her dates are often convinced that they're either catfished or scammed until they actually meet up with Shauna and she introduced herself.
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While she feels safe at home, she gets stopped all the time out there as people told them they're still kids.
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Her looks have caused her parents to be overprotective of her, but Shauna wishes to take over of her own life.
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Her mom shared, "I feel, I guess, almost guilty that she will have to go through this for the rest of her life. So all I can do is protect her."
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Shauna shares her parents' plan of buying her a house with an addition, to which her friends quickly advised her to refuse. She shared, "I do desire more independence from my family because I can't go anywhere without them asking questions."Shauna who smokes, drink champagne, and enjoy going out with friends her age, said, "I'm determined to make this year my year to shine."
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TLC
Throughout the show, Shauna shows how she goes on her day-to-day life trying to do normal things 22-year-old women would do.
TLC
One of her blind dates was convinced that he was "being punked" when he finally met up with Shauna.
TLC
TLC
From hitting the gym to going to bars - there are no instances where people wouldn't stop her thinking she's underage. She also shares her dating experiences so far and they have proven to her that it's going to be even harder to find a good man for herself.
"I attract creeps, a**holes, and idiots. It is scary to put myself out there, but you have to put some risk in to get happiness," admits the single lady.
Watch the preview of the show below!
