Rare Condition Gives Toddler Super Strength

by Sandy Maple (Subscribe to Sandy Maple's posts)
Apr 2nd 2009 3:00PM

Filed under: In The News, Weird But True

At first glance, Liam Hoekstra looks like your typical toddler. At 3 years old and 30 pounds, he sports a mop of curly brown hair and a mischievous smile. But hand the boy a pair of dumbbells and it is immediately clear that there is something special about him. With 40 percent more muscle mass than the average person and exceptional strength, agility and speed, Liam is a real-life Bam Bam Rubble.

No, Liam hasn't been working out -- he was born with a genetic condition called myostatin-related muscle hypertrophy. In essence, his muscle cells reject the protein myostatin, which results in above-average muscle development, a super-fast metabolism and virtually no body fat.

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Liam's parents, Dana and Neil Hoekstra of Roosevelt Park, Michigan, say they noticed right away that there was something different about their adopted son. At two days old, his legs could support the weight of his body while his mother held his hands for balance. By 5 months, he could do a difficult gymnastics move that most grown men can't manage.

"I would hold him up by his hands and he would lift himself into an iron cross. That's when we were like, 'Whoa, this is weird,'" says Dana.

As Liam grew, so did his strength -- and his parent's amazement. "When he fell backward, he would land on his butt, but he never hit his head on the ground," Dana says. "His stomach would tense up and he would catch himself before his head hit the ground. You could see his stomach muscles. He had a little six-pack."

Liam's condition is very rare. First documented in beef cattle in the late 1990s, the first human case wasn't discovered until 2000. Today, there are only about 100 known cases in the entire world. Scientists say that studying Liam and others like him could help them to understand the mystery of muscle growth and deterioration and possibly lead to new treatments for ailments such as muscular dystrophy and osteoporosis.

The good news is that while Liam's condition prevents his body from developing the fat young children need for brain growth and development of the central nervous system, he appears to be doing well both physically and mentally. But while he excels in the strength-related activities in his gymnastics class, he has more difficulty than other kids with his balance and flexibility.

The bad news is, he eats like a horse! "He's hungry for a full meal about every hour because of his rapid metabolism," says Dana. "He's already eating me out of house and home."

Keeping Liam fed isn't the only challenge his parents are dealing with. He's already given mom a black eye and put a hole in the wall during a tantrum. But if they can all survive his childhood intact, Liam's future looks pretty bright.

While Liam's dad dreams about his son's future spot on the football team at his beloved University of Michigan, mom just hopes for a normal life for her exceptional son. The Hoekstra's routinely refuse interviews with television news crews looking to sensationalize their son's story. "It's great that he's going to have some extra muscle mass, but I don't want him to be viewed as some kind of freak," says Dana.

ReaderComments (Page 2 of 4)

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4-05-2009 @ 3:26PM

thesby tolbert said...

bam bam bambambam........bambam!!!!!!

4-05-2009 @ 3:29PM

whoops said...

Andy Bunt...you took the thought right outta my head, lol. I wondered the same thing...

4-05-2009 @ 3:27PM

i wonder how long will he live?

4-05-2009 @ 3:39PM

Guermo1osito said...

That's a good question. Has this "disorder" been linked to any other health problems? How does it affect his mental function? And, as you said, will he live an average life span? Those are the questions I would be asking.

4-05-2009 @ 3:42PM

time wiil tell!

4-05-2009 @ 6:27PM

baye said...

Until God says it's time for him to die. He will be calling you one day too. You didn't know?

4-05-2009 @ 3:36PM

Peg said...

This condition would be a disaster for the cattle industry. Cattle ranchers definitely want their cattle fat and easy to manage. What happened to the cattle with this condition? Were they studied or just put down?

Why was this child put up for adoption? Were his biological parents notified of his condition? Was the biological mother interviewed or studied? Important questions for her: What did she eat, drink, or take (medications) while she was pregnant? Does anyone else in her family have this condition?

Is this a new condition or has it been around since the beginning of man - like arthritis or anemia?

JustMe said...

That's pretty amazing!
Hopefully this kid will be able to stay healthy and live a long life.
Can you imagine him in gym class? Hahaha.

4-05-2009 @ 3:52PM

Alan said...

The mutants are coming. You read about super brain 6 year old? He can do many 'Rain Man' feats already.

4-05-2009 @ 3:59PM

"Myostatin-related muscle hypertrophy was first documented in beef cattle and mice in the late 1990s, according to scientific literature.

In 1997, researchers at Johns Hopkins University Hospital in Baltimore determined that Belgian Blue cattle, an unusually muscular breed, had mutations in the gene that produces myostatin. Those scientists also produced muscular mice by deactivating the rodent version of the myostatin gene, according to scientific journals.

The first human case was documented in 2000, in a German boy, but wasn't reported in medical literature until 2004. The condition is so rare in humans that scientists don't know how many people have it, said Dr. Kathryn R. Wagner, a genetics expert at Johns Hopkins.

A genetic mutation prevents some people from producing myostatin. Those individuals can have twice the normal amount of muscle mass, according to medical literature.

In Liam's case, the myostatin his body produces is rejected by muscle cells. He and others with his condition can have up to 50 per cent more muscle mass than the average person, experts said."

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20070530/strong_toddler_070530

4-05-2009 @ 4:08PM

leni said...

Good for Mom for not letting Dad exploit him just yet. Knowing the father already has a football team picked out is very typical, I just hope it's the usual daddy fantasy and the boy is allowed to find his own way as it should be.
With all of the multiple birth stories and reality shows these days I'm so sick of seeing people who exploit their own children for profit. This woman's attitude is very refreshing.

4-05-2009 @ 4:09PM

jay said...

2 WORDS.......FREAKIN AWESOME!!!!!!! I work like a bull to stay physically fit and even then its hard and this kids born superhuman!? Lucky kid, hope he has a bright future!

kya said...

That can't be the same child in the picture ! The reporter says the toddler has curly brown hair and the child in the picture doesn't have curly hair! Do you people think we are so stupid that we can't tell that your story doesn't add up !

4-05-2009 @ 4:21PM

Michele said...

Tell him not to get near any kryptonite !

4-05-2009 @ 4:25PM

Cameron said...

Football? Man these parents aren't looking at the big picture here. What they've got on their hands is the potential IRL Captain America.

4-05-2009 @ 4:36PM

Heather said...

There's a 50/50 chance this little boy will become a bully and kill his adoptive parents. He's already given mom a black eye. How do you control a superhuman, especially after they've reached puberty and hormones are anything but stable?----- I'm sure this child will grown up to be a good person and not kill his adoptive parents, and they control him by teaching him love, self control and kindness just as you teach any child. I hate how people think you're supposed to control children physically and then wonder why they act out in violent ways.

4-05-2009 @ 4:42PM

DJN said...

I've seen a photo and read about the German kid years ago. Sports Illustrated even wrote about him in a larger piece on the next level of blood doping, better-athletes-through-chemistry. I've wondered what happened to him.

What's interesting to me is the change in the physical fitness of the young parallels the change in the distribution of economic wealth. Where once you had a few top notch athletes, a few kids who were utterly hopeless in gym class and a large physical middle class, now it seems you've got a few more super athletes, a lot of fat kids lucky if they can run a quarter mile and a smaller physical middle class. And kids like this continue the trend

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