Woman with Syndrome-X Dies: Maryland 20-Year-Old Never Aged

Twenty-year-old Brooke Greenberg, who never aged beyond the physical size of an infant or the mental capacity of a 2-year-old, died.

The daughter of Howard and Melanie Greenberg from Reistertown, Md., ABC News notes that Brooke is one of about only a dozen children around the world to have what's referred to as syndrome X.

Brooke's funeral was held Sunday at a synagogue outside Baltimore, according to family friends.

As the child progressed through life like any other young girl, her parents noticed that she stopped developing-both physically and mentally-around the age of 5, according to The Huffington Post.

"She has been the same weight, the same height for now 15 years," her father Howard said during a Jan. 10 segment on Katie Couric's daytime talkshow, "Katie." The only things that have continued to grow normally are Brooke's nails and hair, he also revealed.

Though researchers had worked to possibly increase longevity in Brookes genes via manipulation, some age-related disorders are not always so easy to treat.

At four, Brooke's parents were expecting the worst for their child when doctors diagnosed her with a brain tumor.

"We were preparing for our child to die," Howard Greenberg said, via ABC in 2009. "We were saying goodbye. And, then, we got a call that there was some change -- that Brooke had opened her eyes and she was fine. There was no tumor. She overcomes every obstacle that is thrown her way."

Though Brooke dealt with developmental and physical delays, her rabbi remembered her life with much dignity as stated via a eulogy held this week for the young women.

"While the outside world may have noticed Brooke's physical stature and been puzzled by her unique development state, she brought joy and love to her family," Rabbi Andrew Busch said, via The New York Daily News. "Her parents, three sisters and extended family showered her with love and respected her dignity throughout her entire life."