Meet the Child Who Feels No Pain

        Isaac Brown, pictured here in the hospital, cannot feel pain.

Courtesy Carrie Brown

At age 5, Isaac Brown is learning the alphabet and simple addition. He's also figuring out another vital subject: pain.

Isaac was born with a congenital insensitivity to pain, a disorder that means he almost never feels pain, even if he breaks a bone.

Because he doesn't feel injuries, Isaac's parents, Carrie and Randy Brown, are teaching him how to identify them to stay healthy.

"The toddler years were an absolute nightmare," said Isaac's mother, Carrie Brown. "He would just drop to the ground and smack his face on the table. He thought the fall was fun."

Isaac has dunked his hand in hot coffee without flinching. He once placed his palm on a working oven burner without shedding a tear.

Courtesy of Carrie Brown By GILLIAN MOHNEY

    Isaac Brown didn't initially realize he broke his pelvis after a fall.

After breaking a cup one time, Isaac banged on his mother's door to get her attention with the broken glass. When Brown opened the door, she found Isaac grasping the sharp edge of the glass. He didn't understand that the broken glass was damaging his hand with each strike.

Although Brown and her husband sought medical help, there is little doctors can do to treat Isaac's condition. After taking Isaac to a specialist, Brown said initially she was told to watch him carefully and bring him in if he appears to be injured.

Looking for relief, the Browns searched the Internet for "children who can't feel pain" and found a Facebook group called The Gift of Pain, where parents talked about their children who had the same disorder as Isaac.read more...