Featured Image Credit: TikTok/@shaunarae99/TLC
Topics: Film and TV, Health, Instagram, US News
Dominic Smithers
Topics: Film and TV, Health, Instagram, US News
A woman 'trapped in a child's body' has opened up about her condition - and whether it affects her life expectancy.
Shauna Rae was diagnosed with brain cancer when she was six months old, the treatment for which affected her growth.
It damaged her pituitary gland, which caused her to developed pituitary dwarfism, and she now stands at three foot 10 inches tall.
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Shauna stars in a TLC series I am Shauna, where she opens up about her life and her search for love.
And in a Q&A with fans, she was asked about her life expectancy and whether or not her condition affects it at all.
In a video posted to her Instagram account, Shauna said that she's hopeful of living a long life.
"As far as I know, my disability does not affect my age expectancy, but at the same time, my disability, it's very unknown," she explained.
"So we really don't have an answer for me. As far as I know, with all the research I've done, taller people seem to live shorter lifespans, and shorter people seem to live longer lifespans.
"So maybe if I follow that kind of role, maybe I'll live, like, very long like to like, what I think average lifespan is about 80 to 100. "So maybe I'll live to the younger and edge."
Shauna went on: "My mom has a theory that she's going to live to 130 or something, so maybe I'll follow in her footsteps. But I don't really think so.
"I think honestly, if anything would have an effect on my age expectancy, it would have been if my cancer came back kind of situation.
"But because I went so long without being diagnosed with cancer, again, any cancer that I get diagnosed with again will not be related to my brain tumour, thankfully, so hopefully, I'm good to go and I live like an average normal person."
Speaking earlier this year, Shauna explained how she susses out the creeps who try and date her.
Due to her condition, Shauna says she's always wary of people's motives, especially when it comes to her love life.
And in her search, the TLC star says she's found a way of spotting those 'who may not have the best intentions'.
“I’ve just developed the ability to spot someone who may not have the best intentions because they give themselves away,” she told the NY Post.
“Their questions are very targeted towards my physicality.
"They’re learning about me like I’m a specimen in a lab.”