TLC Star Legally Removes Her Last Name

By Daniel S. Levine

Shauna Rae, the star of TLC's newest hit reality series I Am Shauna Rae, shared some exciting news with fans on Wednesday. She legally changed her name to just "Shauna Rae," dropping her last name Lesick. Shauna Rae's show highlights the challenges she faces as a person with pituitary dwarfism, which means the 22-year-old's body remains at the developmental level of an 8-year-old's.

In her latest Instagram post, Shauna Rae held up a legal document confirming her new name. She also thanked her stepfather, Mark Schrankel, for helping her accomplish her dream. "Thank you [Schraknel] for going with me today to change my name," Shauna Rae wrote. "One small change that means a lot to me! My legal full name is now Shauna Rae bye bye old last name!"

Shauna Rae has not talked publicly about her relationship with her biological father, notes PEOPLE. The TLC did not share why dropping her father's last name was so important, but other members of her family clearly understood the importance. Even her mother, Patty Schrankel, congratulated her. "There you go, you do what makes you happy, Shauna," another person wrote on Instagram.

I Am Shauna Rae debuted in January and follows Shauna Rae's life in Long Island, New York. When she was 6 months old, Shuna Rae was diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumor that required surgery and chemotherapy. The treatments were successful, but her doctors discovered when she was 5 that her pituitary gland was dormant. Her doctors used synthetic growth hormone to help her grow another 8 inches, but her bones permanently fused when she was 16. She stands just under 4 feet tall. She is one of 8,000 people in the U.S. with pituitary dwarfism.

One of the challenges she faces in the show is dating. "I'm 22, but I look like I'm 8," Shauna Rae told PEOPLE in January. "My parents have put in my head all the people that could be attracted to me and why they could be attracted to me. I'm always looking for a red flag."

In one confessional, Shauna Rae opened up about how concerned she is for her mother who might be criticized for treating her like the 22-year-old she is by others. "It's just, I feel so... I guess almost guilty that she will have to go through this for the rest of her life," Shauna Rae said. "It doesn't seem like there's going to be a time that is going to be okay, or is going to be normal for her."

I Am Shauna Rae was renewed for a second season, Variety reported in May. "Here's the answer to the question everyone has been asking! I am Shauna Rae has been renewed for a Season 2," Shauna Rae wrote on Instagram when celebrating the news. 

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