TYPES OF DWARFISM

RILEY  - HYPOCHONDROPLASIA

            My name is Riley and I am (years old). I grew up in the small town of Horsefly, British Columbia Canada.  I am currently in my final semester of the Human Service diploma and plan to work in this field for a while before going back for the full Bachelors of Social Work.  I have a great passion for hockey and I also am a little person with Hypochondroplasia dwarfism. 

Hypochondroplasia is a form of short-limbed dwarfism. This condition affects the conversion of cartilage into bone (a process called ossification), particularly in the long bones of the arms and legs. Hypochondroplasia occurs on average in 1: 15,000 to 40,000 births. A child with Hypochondroplasia is typically diagnosed at a later age because their growth tends to slow down and if their features are very mild, they may not be diagnosed until adulthood.

 Hypochondroplasia is similar to the most common form of dwarfism, Achondroplasia.  The difference with Hypochondroplasia is that it usually has the least medical problems of any type of dwarfism.   Hypochondroplasia is very similar to Achondroplasia except it has much milder characteristics.  These characteristics include bowing of the longer bones of the body including the arms, legs, and spine. It can include short hands and feet,  limited range of motion at the elbows, a sway of the lower back (lordosis), obstructive apnea, spinal stenosis, a larger head, and hydrocephalus which are an excess of fluid that collects on the brain. 

The main characteristic of Hypochondroplaisa is short stature. The adult height for men with this condition ranges from 4 feet, 6 inches to 5 feet, 5 inches. The height range for adult women is 4 feet, 2 inches to 4 feet, 11 inches. I am fully grown and stand at 4’6” tall.

An adult, at 4’6”, experiences opportunities and challenges.  I like to focus more on the opportunities.  Living in the small town of Horsefly, with an average population of around seven hundred people, everyone knows everyone.  This has been an advantage to me.  I am the only little person from Horsefly which has made my presence even more known. In the end no two people are the same but at the same time, we are all human.  We were all born for a purpose and I believe that living by the 3 D’s anything is possible.  These are drive, determination, and dedication.