Achondroplasia, a genetic disorder affecting bone growth, is the most common type of dwarfism.
One little boy from Brisbane, Australia named Quaden Bayles has the condition, and he has been bullied relentlessly for it.
Quaden’s achondroplasia wasn’t evident at birth, but as he grew up, he became a target of ridicule because of his short stature and appearance, which were different from other children of the same age.
Strangers would stop in the middle of walking just to gawk and point at him, and he’s been called many ugly names. It only got worse when Quaden started going to school, where his peers never let him forget how different he looked.
Yarraka Bayles, his mother, tried to encourage her son by continually telling him that it’s not wrong to be different, but the unkindness of people soon got to the child.
Image credit: Stand Tall 4 Dwarfism on Facebook
He became an angry boy, yelling at people staring at him. He also forbade his family from using the word “dwarf” around him.
However, in an unexpected but happy coincidence, a dog accomplished what Quaden’s counselors and mother were unable to do.
A veterinarian friend of Yarraka contacted her one day, telling her that she had to meet a dog that the vet had been looking after for Animal Rescue Queensland.
Yarraka couldn’t believe it when she found out the dog, a Shih Tzu called Buddy, had achondroplasia as well!
Image credit: Stand Tall 4 Dwarfism on Facebook
Buddy helped change Quaden’s outlook and attitude drastically in short order. The once angry boy became a cheerful, confident child.
More importantly, Quaden learned to accept his condition because his new best friend has it too. He’s now more willing to discuss dwarfism openly, even proudly declaring to other people that he and Buddy are “both dwarves.”
Quaden’s family hopes the friendship between the boy and the Shih Tzu will inspire others to learn more about dwarfism.
Watch Quaden and Buddy’s story here:
Source: nollygrio on YouTube
Thank you to Daily Mail and Today for publishing the original story.
