Look for an LPA near you: Big support for little people

VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON

Leta Krieger had never met anyone with dwarfism until her son, David, was born three years ago.

The Virginia Beach resident and her husband, David Krieger Jr., already had one child - a daughter Katie, who was 4.

The couple learned that "Little D," which the y call the youngster, was a little person one week before he was born.

"But I was still blind sided," Krieger admitted.

Little D has the most common of dwarfism's 200 different form s. Achondroplasia occurs in one out of 25,000 births and is characterized by disproportionately shorter arms and legs.

"They're usually born to parents of average height," said Krieger, explaining that achondroplasia is not recessive and is not always carried in the parents' genes. "It's a spontaneous mutation that happens at conception."

She learned about Little People of America, or LPA, the national support group for people of short stature and their families, from Little D's primary pediatrician. The local chapter was inactive at the time, but joining LPA was not an immediate priority for Krieger.

During his first year, Little D visited myriad specialists to address dwarfism-related health issues. He underwent neurosurgery in 2006.

Today, Little D is healthy, and Krieger is the new co-president of the LPA's Colonial Chapter, which serves southern Virginia and eastern North Carolina.

Though Krieger initially wanted to start a new Hampton Roads chapter, she eventually joined forces with two North Carolina women. With the help of co-president Cathy Hughes and parent coordinator Lisa McDowell, Krieger re-started the Colonial Chapter in May.

Since then, the group has grown and regained some former members, including one-time secretary Sharon Fadness of Chesapeake. She has a daughter, Kelsey, 10, who has achondroplasia, and a son, Ray, 6, of average height.

"We didn't know until she was born that she was a little person," Fadness said of Kelsey.

The first year was hardest because of frequent doctor visits. Now, "every day, we don't deal with her being little," Fadness said.

Said a smiling Kelsey, "I'm a big-time swimmer."

The Butts Road Intermediate fifth-grader describes herself as a well-mannered student who makes good grades. Kelsey has an iPod Shuffle to indulge a love of country music and is a Carrie Underwood fan.

Plus, "I have 28 Webkinz, " she said.

The youngster has had osteotomies to lengthen her bones, and she has spinal stenosis, or a narrowing of the spinal canal, which can compress the spinal cord and nerves.

For Kelsey's mother, a valuable benefit of joining the LPA is being able to meet medical specialists and learn of treatments.

"It's very important to really research your options when it comes to things like this," Fadness said.

Medical conditions aside, there are other issues that little people's parents face.

Monitoring weight is one, said Fadness, since those with dwarfism have the same amount of muscle and tissue - but not the bone length for support - as average-height children.

Shopping for clothes is another challenge.

"Their clothing never really fits because their arms and legs are shorter," said Krieger, who also worries about social interaction as Little D grows older.

"I really want him to be around other kids like him," she said.

The chapter's monthly meetings, held alternately in North Carolina and Virginia, offer parents a forum for networking and discussion. They're also an opportunity for children and teens who are little people to meet and hang out, such as the lunch and bowling gathering to be held Saturday in Chesapeake.

"It's great to see the older kids. There's a lot of support," said Lindsay Fowler, one of the chapter's newsletter editors.

The Newport News woman has a 13-month-old named Paige, who was born prematurely with achondroplasia.

Though they don't have an estimate on the number of little people in Hampton Roads, Fadness and Krieger know there are many who aren't yet aware of LPA.

But the women are intent on changing that.

"We're out here," said Krieger. "We're active."

Learn more at www.lpaonline.org, or visit the Colonial Chapter's Web site, http://geocities.com/colonialchapter/.

Cyndi Kight, kightcw@yahoo.com