A mother has told how her daughter has been ‘robbed’ of a normal childhood – after hitting puberty at just six years old.
Single mother Sarah Tweedie-Connor, 36, who lives in Coventry, West Midlands, noticed Teri-Leigh, now 10, was growing pubic hair and breasts and stood a head above all her friends four years ago.
Teri-Leigh has been diagnosed with non-cancerous brain tumour, hypothalamic hamartoma, which means she is experiencing the symptoms of puberty years earlier than her peers.
Mother Sarah Tweedie-Connor, 36, left, has told how her daughter Terri-Leigh, right, has been ‘robbed’ of a normal childhood – after hitting puberty at six years old
Despite being in year five at primary school, Teri-Leigh is often kicked out of playgrounds because – at 5ft 2in with a ‘mature face’ – she looks ‘more like a teenager’ and even has mood swings.
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Sarah, who works as a dinner lady and is mother to Kian, 15, Ewan, 12, and Georgia, who’s seven, said: ‘It’s heartbreaking to see my daughter wonder why she looks nothing like her friends. She’s so self-conscious.
‘While other kids who are Teri-Leigh’s age are running around concentrating on nothing but being children, my daughter is worrying about the changes in her body and battling mood swings.’
Now at 10 years old, Teri-Leigh is 5ft 2in and takes hormone injections to control her symptoms. Above, Terri-Leigh aged eight
Terri-Leigh, in hospital above, was diagnosed with non-cancerous brain tumour, hypothalamic hamartoma, which means she is experiencing the symptoms of puberty years early
Teri-Leigh is now undergoing hormone injections to prevent her periods from starting – but this will not reverse the effects of the condition so far.
Sarah added: ‘I just want my daughter to be able to enjoy her childhood without feeling self-conscious.’
When Teri-Leigh was six years old, she was 4ft 8in, and stood head and shoulders above her school friends.
Over the next year, Sarah noticed her daughter had pubic hair and small breasts – despite only being in year one at school.
Sarah said: ‘My eldest Kian, then 12, was only just starting to show signs of puberty so I was really surprised to see Teri-Leigh was at the same stage.
‘I was shocked, but tried not to let on to Teri-Leigh that the hair was anything was usual.’
Teri-Leigh, pictured aged eight, is now undergoing hormone injections to prevent her periods from starting – but this will not reverse the effects of the condition so far
When Teri-Leigh was six years old, she was 4ft 8in, and stood head and shoulders above her school chums, above
Medics at Walsall University Hospital began tests, and discovered that Teri-Leigh’s bone growth matched that of a ten-year-old – but they were not sure why.
Sarah said she realised just how different her daughter was from her peers in September 2013 when she was banned from an adventure park at six years old – because she was too tall.
Sarah said: ‘She exceeded the height limit by a couple of inches. It was humiliating for her, so the whole family left.
‘I was furious she’d been pointed out and made to feel like a freak. But at the same time it gave me the push to consult with medics and discover the cause of her early puberty.’
Concerned, the mother shared her fears with the school nurse, who suggested Teri-Leigh could have precocious puberty, and medics at University Hospital Coventry began tests.
At seven years old, Teri-Leigh was prescribed monthly injections of hormone triptorelin to halt her sexual development.
At seven years old, Teri-Leigh, above after some blood tests, was prescribed monthly injections of hormone triptorelin to halt her sexual development
But Sarah tells how the hormones caused her daughter to have mood swings like a teen.
She said: ‘She’d break her toys, scream, kick and cry with rage. Getting her dressed for school when she threw tantrums was a battle. At her size, I couldn’t handle her physically. It was a nightmare.’
In August 2015, Teri-Leigh was diagnosed with hypothalamic hamartoma – a tumour on the brain which affects one in 200,000 people – at Birmingham Children’s Hospital.
The tumour can cause epileptic fits, precocious puberty and behavioural problems.
WHAT IS HYPOTHALAMIC HAMARTOMA
A hypothalamic hamartoma (HH) is a rare but benign brain tumor.
It is found in the hypothalamus, which is located at the base of the brain.
The hypothalamus is responsible for many of the ‘automatic’ functions of the brain including hunger, thirst, temperature, passion, and hormone regulation.
Precocious (premature) puberty, such as Teri-Leigh has experienced, cognitive deterioration and severe behavioral difficulties are common symptoms.
Sarah said: ‘Thought the word “tumour” devastated me, it was a relief to finally have an explanation about why Teri-Leigh was developing the way she was.’
She began further hormone treatment to stop her periods starting early – but this did not reverse the effects of precocious puberty so far.
Sarah said: ‘She stands taller than all her friends and is experiencing things that none of them can understand yet.
‘I try and talk it all through with her but at the end of the day, Teri-Leigh’s just a child so I can’t blame her for not fully understanding.’
Now 10 years old, Teri-Leigh’s breasts are developing and she still has mood swings.
What’s more, she is taller and stronger than her 12-year-old brother, Ewan.
She and Sarah are raising money for Hope for Hypothalamic Hamartoma UK – and, with the help of Teri-Leigh’s school, Parkgate Primary School, the family have raised £2,000.
Terri-Leigh and Sarah are raising money for Hope for Hypothalamic Hamartoma UK to raise awareness about the little-known condition
Sarah adds: ‘We want to raise awareness about this condition.
‘Strangers mistake Teri-Leigh for a teenager acting up when she has mood swings in public, and I just want to tell them that she’s just a child.
‘If only people were not so quick to judge what they don’t know about.
‘We hope by sharing her story we can raise awareness about this relatively unheard of condition and end the stigma my girl has to face on a daily basis.’