Lina Medina is believed to have been the youngest person to ever become a mother after giving birth to a son when she was just five years old. Born in a remote Andes Village in the mountains of South America, the youngster's life didn't appear to be different to the other children of her age.
But concerns were raised when the youngster's stomach became enlarged. Doctors suspected it may have been due to a tumour but were horrified to discover the child was pregnant.
The Daily Star reports that Lina gave birth to her son, Gerardo, via Caesarean just weeks later in 1939. Experts discovered that the girl had a rare condition called precocious puberty and had developed sexual organs as a toddler.
Further investigations revealed that she had been raped and impregnated. Her father was later arrested but was released due to lack of evidence.
It has never been revealed who the boy’s father was and Lina and her family lived out their lives in private, rather than sharing their story publicly. The son lived until the age of 40 but passed away from bone disease in 1979.
According to reports, it was only when the boy was ten that he was told that Lina, who he believed to be his sister, was actually his mother. Lina went on to have a second son with her husband Raul 34 years later.
She received little support and lived out most of her life in poverty. Raul later told the press: “She got no help that I know about. She thinks governments never deliver.”
He spoke 20 years ago when Lina was 68 and, according to Telegraph India, was living in a “cramped house in a poor, crime-ridden district” in Peru. The family have remained private and refused to talk to outsiders about the past.
A book called Mother Aged 5 was also penned by obstetrician Jose Sandoval, who wrote: “The government condemned them to live in poverty. In any other country, they would be the objects of special care. We still have time to repair the damage to her. That’s my fundamental objective.”
It’s unclear whether Lina remains alive – but her age now would be 89 and she remains the youngest person to ever give birth.
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