Marrissa Bishop is not unlike most 11-year-old girls.  She likes to read, watch NASCAR motorsports, follow her friends on Twitter, and listen to Justin Bieber.  

But she’s also dealing with a condition most adolescents and adults never even think about.

Marrissa has been diagnosed with acromegaly, a condition that affects 11 people of every million, according to her mother Jessica.  “She’s struggled with it for five years before it was diagnosed,” she said.

Patty Hanks, Marrissa’s grandmother, sat next to her granddaughter on the living room sofa on an afternoon that hadn’t found Marrissa feeling very well.  “To be 11 years old, she deals with it great,” Hanks said.  “I don’t know that I could deal with it as well as she does.”

The fifth grader at Williams Intermediate School did feel up to talking briefly about her health and a professional racing connection she’s made through social networking.

Marrissa’s condition:  She’s being treated for acromegaly, which causes her body to produce too much growth hormone.  While not life-threatening in itself, it can contribute to other serious health problems and causes lack of muscle strength, fatigue, enlarged bones, joint pain, headaches, and sleep apnea.

Pharmaceuticals:  Daily, Marrissa takes four pain pills, a muscle relaxer, acid reflux medication, and uses a nebulizer and inhaler.  

Twitter:  Marrissa has 246 followers on the social media website, among them NASCAR driver Mike Harmon.  They connected on Twitter, and, knowing that Harmon, a Birmingham native, was in search of a sponsor, suggested placing on his car the names of Twitter users who donate to his racing efforts.

“It blew up,” Bishop said.  “And it doesn’t matter if you donate 50 cents or $1,000.  If you make a donation, you’d best believe he’ll put your name on the car.”

At Talladega:  Marrissa is looking forward to seeing Harmon at this fall’s NASCAR event where he will display the vehicle.  Her name is expected to given the most prominent position, and surplus donations will be presented to the Marrissa Bishop Charity Foundation, organized by Harmon.