Painless

Three year-old Gabby Gingras feels no pain, having been born with Hereditary Sensory and Autonomic Neuropathy Type-5. This very rare condition stops the nerve fibres from sending a signal to the brain. Which sounds good, until you consider that pain is often a sign that you’re doing something you shouldn’t.

It’s hard to read about her life without wincing:

The teeth she didn’t break off while biting toys were removed by an oral surgeon after Gabby chewed up her mouth and tongue so badly she had to be hospitalized.

It’s not just immediately visible damage that’s a problem: at one point, she broke her jaw and nobody knew for a month. Here’s hoping that Gabby survives to an age at which she’s capable of monitoring her body’s condition and recognising the signs of damage.

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