Georgia girl who doesn't feel pain helps researchers

Georgia girl who doesn't feel pain helps researchers understand condition
Posted: August 28, 2010

By Jeremy Cox
PATTERSON, Ga. - Ashlyn Blocker didn't cry when she was born.

A severe diaper rash when she was 2 weeks old didn't faze her. She never fussed when she was hungry, so her parents had to remind themselves to feed her every two hours. At 6 months, she laughed and cooed as a nurse administered stinging drops to dilate her eyes.

Doctors found that Ashlyn had a one-in-a-billion condition: She couldn't feel pain. And unlike most people in medical literature with a documented insensitivity to pain, she was otherwise normal and healthy.

It sounds like a gift. Imagine never having to worry about the discomfort of paper cuts, skinned knees or going to the dentist.

However, being immune to pain is also a curse, both physiologically and philosophically.

You wouldn't know if you were getting too hot or too cold. A sudden medical emergency like a heart attack or appendicitis might go unnoticed until it was too late. And how would you ever feel empathy for the suffering of others if you had never suffered yourself?
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Georgia girl who does not feel pain helps researchers