Little by little

Life with dwarfism gets better every day thanks to increased sensitivity

Stephanie Riggs, Special to the News

Saturday, September 29, 2001

Josh Maudlin will never grow taller than 4 feet.

The 14-year-old Denver native is one of an estimated 20,000 people in the United States living with a medical condition called dwarfism. Because of his height, he must have his clothes altered and sometimes needs help with things most of us take for granted.

A freshman at Denver Academy this fall, Josh chooses to focus on what makes him similar to his friends: He plays sports, rides bikes and is a leader at school. He has taught his friends that "the more comfortable you are with yourself, the more comfortable the world will be with you."

Being sensitive to differences makes all the difference in the world. Josh Maudlin is the subject of a children's book I wrote about his life titled Never Sell Yourself Short. While the book is about little people, it's for everyone - especially children.

Josh provided the perspective, local photographer Bill Youmans took the pictures and I wrote the text. We are giving the profits to The Little People of America. News 4 will air a series of stories on dwarfism in Colorado beginning Monday on First News at 4 p.m.

The title came to me while talking to Josh's friends. I admired them for being so young yet showing such sensitivity to Josh - a sensitivity that isn't taught at school but at home.

Most people know what a dwarf is. Evidence of little people in historical records goes as far back as the first Egyptian dynasty, when dwarfs were considered godlike. During the Renaissance, royal houses in Europe called them "court dwarfs" and gave them positions of honor.

By the 20th century, that attitude had changed.

Little people became a curiosity seen mostly in exhibits, traveling shows and eventually in movies such as The Wizard of Oz. While many found opportunities in show business, the late Billy Barty worried that too many were being exploited. In 1957, he organized a meeting to help change the way the world looked at little people. Twenty participants showed up for that first meeting of the Little People of America in Reno, Nevada.

By contrast, 1,500 people attended the 2001 LPA conference in Toronto. The annual conference offers much needed support and education to people of short stature and their families.

One Colorado doctor wouldn't miss it. Gary Bellus from the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center helped discover the gene that causes dwarfism in 1994 while at Johns Hopkins Medical Center.

"Other than stature, they're just like everybody else," says Bellus. "But after being around them, I think they are generally nicer, friendlier and more outgoing than average-sized people."

Little people must adjust to the average-size world they have inherited.

Chris Kotzian and his wife, Barb, say valet parking attendants in Denver are shocked when they see pedal-extenders in their car. They normally get plenty of help reaching items on the top shelf while shopping, but wish restaurants and shopping centers would put a stool in restrooms so they can reach the soap and paper towels.

Former Colorado Rockies pitcher Steve Reed and his wife, Teri, hope Steve's high-profile role as a professional athlete (Reed is now pitching for the Braves) will encourage parents to teach their children to be more sensitive to the differences among humans.

Logan, the couples' 5-year-old son, was born with achondroplasia, the most common form of dwarfism. After their initial shock, the couple came to realize that the problem was not Logan's but theirs.

"Just because they look different, they are still human. They are not munchkins. They are just like you and me," says Steve Reed.

Adds Teri Reed: "Logan has taught me that superficial things in life are not important. It's all about people and character. I see him touch people in ways average-sized people can't. He's made me more compassionate and accepting. He has made our family better."

Little people encounter enough obstacles every day. They don't need more problems from people who will never see life from their point of view. Little people who want the same things we all want: to fit in.

After all, as Josh points out, "To belittle someone is to really be little."