Samar has world's smallest living girl

CATARMAN, Northern Samar -- First there was the "dwarf" Dante Varona of Mayorga, Leyte. Now comes Antonia "Tonette" Tobis, perhaps the world's smallest living girl.

At eight years and five months old, Tonette stands only 25 inches tall, or roughly 60 centimeters, and weighs 5.4 kilos, a physiological phenomenon that doctors say is a form of dwarfism.

According to the 1998 Guinness Book of Records, 25.5-inch tall Madge Bester, born on April 26, 1963 in Johannesburg, South Africa, holds the record as the "shortest living woman" in the world.

Tonette, who was born on Aug. 20, 1991 at the Northern Samar Provincial Hospital here, is the third of eight children of Jose Tobis and the former Edith Jumadiao. The Tobis family lives in a small place here in Catarman poblacion, the capital town of this province.

Tonette's situation fascinates medical practitioners. Dr. Jean Merida-Gelera, of Our Lady of Annunciation Medical Clinic, has been following Tonette's case since the child was a year and 10 months old.

Records at the clinic show that during the child's first check-up in June 1993, she weighed only three kilos, the weight of a one or two-month-old baby.

When Tonette was five, she measured 30 centimeters tall, prompting Gelera to note that the child was growing at an average of one centimeter a year.

Last Feb. 6, the lady doctor checked the child again and found her to be weighing 5.4 kilos, or almost a fourth of the average weight of other children her age which is 20 kilograms. Tonette's height was also measured at 63.5 centimeters, or way below the average 118 centimeters.

Tobis' rare physical condition may be traced to an abnormality of the endocrine gland, possibly "hypopituitarism," a growth disorder or hormone deficiency.

The so-called "pituitary dwarfs" are described as persons with "normal or almost normal body proportion and immature, round, full, doll-like or cherubic facial features."

This is attributed to the "delayed development of the naso-orbital bridge," which is characterized by a squeaky or high-pitched voice.

Other probable causes of dwarfism include skeletal displacia, an abnormality in bone growth; a brain disorder caused by a tumor; or genetic factors where there is a chromosomal activity in the growth pattern.

These however were ruled out during follow-up examinations on Tonette as she was declared "neurologically normal."

Edith, 37, told The STAR that in 1993 when the child was a year old, they were advised to take Tonette to Manila to undergo a thorough "work-up." But due to financial difficulties, they never were able to make the trip.

The medical examination, including skeletal survey, growth hormone determination, and brain scan, would have cost at least P20,000.

"It (medical exam) was to determine what her abnormality really is, and if she has a chance to grow normally," the mother told The STAR.

"She is not so sickly, but only complains of upper respiratory tract infection like cough and colds," Gelera said.

The Tobis couple depends solely on the meager income of their small bicycle repair shop which is managed by 49-year-old Jose Tobis. The couple soon realized that "little Tonette" was their source of joy, despite her difficulties.

Edith recalled she never craved for anything during the time she was pregnant with Tonette, but that she dreamed many times of St. Anthony of Padua.

She dreamed of St. Anthony repeatedly until the birth of Tonette, whom the mother said resembled a statue she had dreamt about.

And so she named her baby "Antonia" after the saint. Antonia was born on a Sunday, Aug. 20, at 4 a.m., just as the town's church bells began to peal.

The other Tobis children are Eva, 12, Michael, 10, Joshua, 7, Carmina, 6, John Paul, 2, John Chris, 1, and three-month-old Jennifer.

Despite her size, Tonette takes care of her youngest sister, even singing Jennifer to sleep, although they are about the same size. As soon as the baby dozes off, the little big sister quietly slips through the wooden bars of the crib.

"She (Tonette) is not a problem, but she can be naughty," said Lola Consuelo who has been taking care of little Tonette since birth. The Lola said the child has been living like a "normal" person.

When Tonette was five years old, she started her public appearances, mostly in church-related activities, usually playing the role of the angel during Maytime flower festivals.

Her mother also brings along her good luck charm whenever she bets at the lotto.

She can count up to 10, and can identify many domestic animals around her. Give her a piece of paper and a pencil, Lola Consuelo says, and she will write anything. In June, Tonette is to enroll in nursery at a private Chinese school, on a scholarship from the provincial government.

Now confined to a wheelchair in her native South Africa, Bester is suffering from osteogenesis imperfecta, a disease characterized by brittle bones and skeletal deformities. Besta's mother Winnie is not much taller at 27.5 inches.

However, the all-time record-holder as the "shortest woman" is Pauline Musters of Ossendrecht, the Netherlands, who measured

21.65 inches tall. At the time of her birth on Feb. 26, 1876, she measured 12 inches. She reached her maximum height when she was nine years old, and weighed only 3 pounds 5 ounces. She died on March 1, 1895 at the age of 19 in New York City.