Reader's Digest - USA (2019-08)

bustledintotheloungeroomlook-
ingconcerned.“What’sthematter,
Mum?”askedMark.
Motioningformybrotherandsis-
terstositdownonthecouch,Mum
dabbedthecornersofhereyeswith
a hankyandproceededtotellthem
aboutthedoctor’svisitand the
diagnosis.
“It’syourbabybrother,”shesaid
shakily.“He’ll never be physically
normal.”

ANUNCERTAINFUTURE

Aboveall,Mumwasterrifiedofwhat
thefuturemightholdforme,and,
inparticular,howI’dgothroughlife
livingwitha disability.
Overtheyears,I’vedevelopeda
clearerunderstanding about the

conditionI have.Achondroplasia

resultswhenarandommutation

occursinthefibroblastgrowthfac-

torreceptor3 gene(FGRF3).Itaffects

onein25,000birthsandoccursdur-

ingossification.Inmostcases,the

genehasnoimpactonbonegrowth,

butif thegenemutatesandbecomes

active,itcanresultinshortened

bones.In 80 percentofcases,like

ours,thereisnofamilyhistory.

Forbabieswithachondroplasia,

developmentcanbeslightlyslow.

Fortunately,withme,nothingwas

unusual.I commandocrawledfora

longtimeandmyfirstword,toher

delight,was“mama”.I wasa happy,

smiling,albeitslightlychubbybaby

who,despitemyphysicaldifferences,

appeared normal in every other way.

Aboveleft:Mark,LouiseandIano

set of wheels, which allowed him to go riding with his friends and be like other kids

PHOTOS: FULTON FAMILY COLLECTION

120 Augus t 2019

READER’S DIGEST