She is about to start driving and soon will be able to legally buy alcohol and get married, but Poppy Webb-Jones still looks and thinks like a ten-year-old girl. Unlike other 17-year-olds, Poppy is more interested in Hannah Montana and Justin Bieber than wearing make-up, experimenting with boys or staying out late. This is due to a rare condition which means she was born without any hormones, meaning she has never gone through puberty, never had a growth spurt and never thrown a teenage tantrum. To many parents of teenagers, Poppy must sound like the perfect child, but unbeknown to her or her mother Karen Webb-Meek, her condition posed a deadly risk to her health throughout her whole childhood. Poppy was born with a condition called panhypopituitarism meaning she lacks most of the hormones essential for life. Hypopituitarism is the decreased secretion of one or more of the eight hormones normally produced by the pituitary gland at the base of the brain. If there is decreased secretion of most pituitary hormones, the term panhypopituitarism (pan meaning "all") is used. Poppy has no growth hormone, meaning her bones stopped growing around the age of 11, and she has no thyroxine, which regulates the metabolism and energy levels. In addition she has no oestrogen, which controls the onset of puberty and the development of secondary sexual characteristics.
It’s a role reversal in the Visayan Sea as HUNDREDS of tiny, glistening eggs are carried around inside the mouth of their cardinalfish father .
A pair of BEAUTIFUL rescue sea turtles spot their catch in the waters of the Great Barrier Reef .
Full of tired and busy commuters, these underground stations are rarely admired for their architecture or beauty .
This cheeky macaque gets up close and personal as he examines the dental hygiene of his fellow primate .
LYING flat out on his back, this little meerkat makes the most of the English sunshine .
WITH SNOW COVERING the ground around them, these two polar bears play fight .
FISTS fly as two gorillas take each other on in a dramatic battle .
FLOATING effortlessly on his back, this little otter laps up a rare glimmer of English spring sunshine .
Beautiful turquoise waves rise and fall in a series of stunning images taken along the coastline of south-eastern Australia .
WITH THEIR adorable big round eyes and fluffy white fur, these baby seals are cute enough to melt any heart .
RAISING his flipper, this two day old seal pup gives a wave to the camera .
