“Three months into [my mom’s] pregnancy, the doctors knew there was something wrong with me. They told my parents that my mom should have an abortion because the chances of me surviving past birth were slim to none. When I was born, the doctors gave me six months to live. It was kind of a surprise that I lived this long. People with the type of dwarfism I have tend to have the normal short bones, eye problems and scoliosis. I was born with a bent left leg and arm, I have scoliosis, my hair was coarse and I had bald spots, I had really bad eczema, cataracts, hearing problems… yeah that’s it I guess. They had me confirmed at my baptism because they thought I wouldn’t live for that long. From a young age I realized how precious every day is. I’m lucky. I shouldn’t be here talking to you, I shouldn’t be alive. The chances that I survived are one in a million. I learned to be grateful for every day I have.”