Gypsy told him she had 30 different procedures, including multiple eye, leg and throat surgeries. Her salivary glands were also removed. "You have been cut open. You had parts taken out of you.
When Gypsy was a child, her mom Dee Dee told her that she suffered from leukemia and a host of other health issues. Gypsy revealed in a 20/20 interview that the only medical condition she actually has is a lazy eye.
The one ailment that Gypsy truly suffered from was a lazy eye and poor vision. She always wore thick glasses to correct it, and even had eye surgery to attempt to strengthen the muscles of her eye. "The only thing I had wrong with me is I have a little bit of a lazy eye.
“The only person who could answer that question is dead and she probably wouldn't have answered that question truthfully.” In addition to the feeding tube being installed and a surgery to have her salivary glands removed, Gypsy underwent several other surgeries, according to Dean.
As for her teeth, they did rot and were subsequently removed, likely due to the removal of Gypsy's salivary glands. According to Gypsy, her mother used a numbing agent to numb her gums, causing her to drool, which helped convince doctors to remove the glands.
As a 14-year-old, she shaved her head on camera for the 2014 film "Wish I Was Here." While portraying Gypsy Rose Blanchard in the Hulu series "The Act," King also sported a buzz cut.
Tens of thousands of people died from botched treatment, infections and other complications. In the early 20th century having all your teeth removed was considered the perfect gift for a 21st birthday or a newly married bride, to spare them from a lifetime of pain.
Gypsy eventually learned that she wasn't as sick as her mother led her to believe, and tried to escape Dee Dee. After meeting a boyfriend, Nicholas Godejohn, online, she planned to murder Dee Dee, and Godejohn carried out the stabbing. She's currently serving a ten-year sentence; Godejohn is serving life in prison.
Gypsy told him she had 30 different procedures, including multiple eye, leg and throat surgeries. Her salivary glands were also removed. "You have been cut open. You had parts taken out of you.
According to the American Dental Association, dental extractions occur when the teeth are severely decayed, damaged, or diseased. It's unclear why Gypsy's teeth decayed, but it's likely a combination of poor dental hygiene, malnutrition, and the many unnecessary medications she was taking.
Dee Dee Blanchard kept Gypsy's head shaved and forced her to use a wheelchair even though there was nothing wrong with her legs. Dee Dee Blanchard also convinced a physician to put a feeding tube into Gypsy and would tell people that Gypsy was mentally incompetent.
When Gypsy was eight years old, Dee Dee described her as suffering from leukemia and muscular dystrophy and said she required a wheelchair and feeding tube. The list of medical problems that Dee Dee related about her daughter would go on to include seizures, asthma and hearing and visual impairments.
Dee Dee's ex-husband and Gypsy's father Rod Blanchard told Buzzfeed that he paid Dee Dee $1200 in child support every month even after Gypsy turned 18 because he believed she still needed full-time care. “There was never a question whether or not I was going to stop paying,” Rod said.
Today, Gypsy Rose is almost unrecognizable as the same wheelchair-bound meek young girl who doctors and neighbors saw before her mother's death. She has false teeth where hers were previously removed and her hair is now grown out, whereas before Dee Dee had convinced her to keep it shaved off.
Factitious disorder imposed on another (previously called Munchausen syndrome by proxy) is when someone falsely claims that another person has physical or psychological signs or symptoms of illness, or causes injury or disease in another person with the intention of deceiving others.
She was 19 at the time (though she and her mother claimed she was 15) and the man was 35. He took Gypsy back to his hotel room, but Dee Dee found them and presented paperwork stating that Gypsy was a minor.
Experts say that Gypsy Rose was the victim of a condition previously known as Munchausen syndrome by proxy—now referred to as factitious disorder imposed on another (FDIA)—a mental health disorder where a caregiver makes up or causes an illness or injury to a person under their care for attention and sympathy.
Before long, the girl's teeth get so bad that she started bleeding while brushing them and one eventually fell out in the series. That led her mother to have a dentist extract all but four of Gypsy's teeth.
Gypsy Rose Blanchard, now 28, is believed to have been a victim of Munchausen by proxy – a form of abuse in which the parent or guardian exaggerates or induces illness in a child for attention and sympathy.
Rod and Gypsy have reconnected since she's been in prison.
"It's a hundred times better, honestly," he said. "We email each other. She can call me anytime, and she does. I'm keeping tabs on all of her accomplishments in school.
Gypsy never thought she was going to get caught
She was also seen expressing immediate regret at the murder of her mother, and was desperately attempting to cover her up.
While not much is known about him personally, he was reportedly diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and a low-average IQ. He also had a run-in with the law in 2013 at the age of 23 when he was allegedly caught masturbating while watching pornography at a McDonald's, according to a local report on Patch.com.
Many Amish communities are located in rural areas where access to dental clinics can be limited. Additionally, the high cost of dental treatments may be prohibitive for some families, making tooth extraction a more affordable and practical solution.
This custom was called ohaguro. These blackened teeth were deemed alluring and beautiful, and the practice continued through the centuries to demonstrate sexual maturity in women over the age of 18. It is said to have strengthened the teeth and protected a person from dental problems such as cavities and gum disease.
Victorian Oral Hygiene & Dental Decay
Most people cleaned their teeth using water with twigs or rough cloths as toothbrushes. Some splurged on a “tooth-powder” if they could afford it. Sugar became more widely distributed, thus contributing to an increase in tooth decay during this time period.