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experiences. Finley is a 17-year old junior at Vance High School who has achondroplasia. He stands four-feet-four inches tall. He talks about what it was like growing up with dwarfism.
"When I first started to realize I was different, I noticed people staring all the time. It was really tough. But I've grown accustomed to it. I hardly notice it now. If people want to stare, let them stare. Emotionally, though, it's hard when people judge you by the outside and not the inside. But a lot of times people are intrigued, and they'll ask me questions and we end up being friends. I always tell people, just because I'm short doesn't mean I'm from a different planet."
In fact, Frankie, who plans to open a day care center after he graduates high school, has become so adept at dealing with other people, he helps his mom, Harvetta, better cope with certain situations.
"If we're out at the mall or something and people are giving him a hard time, I usually get much more upset than Frankie," Harvetta said. "But he's helped me learn to let that stuff just roll off my back. It does hit me sometimes when I drop him off at school and so many of the kids are so much bigger than he is. It kind of concerns me that he has to deal with that everyday. But, thankfully, he can take care of himself."
Little People Of The World Unite
Little People of America is the largest organization in the world devoted to people of short stature, which usually includes folks who are no taller than four-feet-ten inches. Their short stature is generally caused by one of the more than 200 forms of the genetic condition dwarfism. LPA has more than 7,000 members nationwide, including several hundred here in the Carolinas. The organization started in 1957 when well-known actor and entertainer Billy Barty made a national public appeal for all little people in America to join him for a gathering in Reno, Nevada. About 20 other little people showed up, and LPA was formed. Today, LPA provides support and information to people of short stature and their families. Membership is also available to relatives and interested professionals who work with short-statured individuals. LPA will assist dwarfs with their physical and developmental concerns by providing medical, environmental, educational, vocational, and parental guidance. The LPA also provides a network of national and international growth-related and genetic-support groups. There are more than 50 local chapters -- including the Carolinian Chapter -- that have regular monthly meetings. Each district has regional conferences that are held twice a year.
In addition to providing professional and medical guidance, the LPA also has a big social and dating component. To hear members describe it, the annual LPA conference -- which usually attracts more than 1,000 members -- can be a real party.
"It's crazy," said Frankie, who has been attending the annual conferences for the past 12 years. "It's a whole different world. Nobody is staring. It's all people who can understand what you're going through. It's great to see other people like me. I think it's awesome."
And while the annual conventions provide a great opportunity for members to get together and socialize, some report that at first it can be a shock.
"Your first convention can be really freaky," Jim said,
"For the first few days it's horrible," Pam said. "I wanted to get out of there. I was thinking, 'I do not look like these people. I don't sound like these people.' I was miserable. But then you start to realize that everyone is going through the same thing I am. After that, it's party time."
"At first I thought, "My God, do I actually look that way,'" Debra said. "It was a total shock. I thought I didn't belong. But then you realize you're all dealing with lots of the same issues.
"I've found that most people live in their own little comfort zone, and are ignorant to things around them," Debra continued. "Most little people don't have the luxury of that comfort zone. I really feel that I've been blessed. I've seen so many things and met so many people. Life has been one big opportunity."
For more information about Little People of America, check out www.LPAonline.org. For information about the local chapter, go to www.midnet.sc/edu/carolinianlpa. *
Contact Sam Boykin at (704) 944-3623 or sam.boykin@cln.com.
