Achondroplasia+Kevin+Ngo

By Kevin Ngo  The Life of a Dwarf

Phillip walked to his house. He was abnormally short and bullied because of it. His father was tall, but had never met his mother since she died shortly after his birth. He had no idea why he was so short and was planning to find out. Phillip was twelve years old, but only 4 feet tall. He walked up to the front door and wondered,” Maybe I had received my tiny body from my mother. No… That is impossible because my father is 6 ft 4 inches.” However he had no idea that his mother was a purebred with the disorder of Achondroplasia while his father was simply unaffected, but this is Phillip’s journey to understanding his own body and learn about his own mother. When he got inside, his father was working late like usual so Phillip was home alone. He got a snack, and after his break, he went into his backpack to get started on his homework. He finished everything, but one essay by 4 P.M. He turned on his computer but it did not turn on, and continued for ten minutes when he finally decided to use his father’s computer. However, Phillip’s father had specifically told Phillip never to use his computer. Phillip thought if he should finish the most important essay of the semester but disobey his father’s order or fail writing class but obey his father’s directions. Phillip walked over to the computer and turned the monitor and computer on. Then, the __account__ automatically logged in and looked at the desktop background. It was his father without a moustache in a suit and a woman significantly shorter than Phillip’s father in a wedding dress. Phillip thought,” Is this woman my mother?” He then finished his essay and printed it by 5:00 P.M. After that he went to the couch, turned on the television, and stated,” I probably did receive my dwarfism from my mother, but how did I,” He then thought that he should watch some shows about heredity, and he switched the channel. He spent hours watching the shows until midnight and turned off the television. He walked up to his bed and said,” I only learned about diseases, but nothing about heredity,” Then Phillip went to sleep and woke up at 10:00 A.M by the ring of the home phone. He got out of bed and picked up the phone. It was his father and he said,” Phillip, I am sorry I could not make it back, but I have to work for another whole day because of a problem with a virus in our software and computers.” Phillip replied,” Okay dad, but try to be home as soon as you can,” Then he hung up and ate an early lunch or late breakfast. After eating he decided to visit the __doctor__ and find out if there was something wrong with his body. He took his bike and rode to the doctor’s office. After fifteen minutes, he arrived at the doctor and he walked up to the front desk. He said to the lady at the desk,” May I have a check up for any reason why I might be so short?” She replied back,” Well I can see that your legs are bowed, and your head is disproportionate to your body. May I see your hand?” Phillip lifted his hand and placed it on the desk. The woman inspected his hand. ” Well, you do have an unusual hand appearance,” ” Okay, okay, you do not need to keep making fun of my body shape and appearance.” She started typing and said,” Sir, you may be at risk for a genetic disorder called Achondroplasia. Are any of your parents abnormally short or did they have Achondroplasia?” Phillip answered,” Well… My dad is very tall, but I am not sure of my mother since she had died after my birth. I can call my dad and ask.” She replied,” Very well, but make sure it is quick.” Phillip then called his dad at work and questioned,” Dad, was my mom short or have some disorder like… Ummmm… I forgot the name but was she short?” His father sighed and said,” Well, I was meaning to tell you that she had a disorder named Achondroplasia,” Phillip replied,” Thank you for telling me, and hope you finish your work quickly. Bye!” Phillip walked to the desk and she asked,” Did your mother have any disorder?” " Yes, she had the disorder, Achondroplasia." Phillip said," Thank you for helping me find out that I have Achondroplasia" The woman replied back," Anytime, come back when you are sick," This is the story of Phillip and his journey to finding that he and his mother both had Achondroplasia. He soon to study Achondroplasia for science and learned facts like that is is autosomal dominant, but can also be received as a mutation in the body. Phillip and his father started to spend more time with each other and everything turned out to be a happy year.

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