Teaching Awareness
By: Alexandra
My mom told me that October is Dwarfism Awareness month. I don’t understand why. There’s breast cancer awareness, heart disease awareness, etc. Those are things that need to be fixed, they are diseases. Dwarfism is not a disease. It doesn’t need a cure. I’m short and have trouble reaching things. I need a stool. I can’t do gymnastics. I’ll need pedal extensions to drive one day. Sometimes I have to get my clothes hemmed. These are all things that are okay.
My dad explained that awareness is sometimes about teaching others. So, this month my family will share facts about living with achondroplasia (our form of dwarfism, it’s the most common type) everyday on Facebook. Is there anything you want to ask me about being a little person?
My mom will probably go to some schools and talk about being a little person. Sometimes she does the talk at my school. I like when my mom visits my school.
Do your parents every come to your school? One of my favorite sayings is from Dr. Suess “A person is a person no matter how small.” it’s from Horton Hears a Who. Have you read that book? Did you see the movie?