6-year-old little girl like a doll

When Jessica Ward was born, doctors told her parents that she could not live past 1 year.

Now, Jessica is 6 years old and has a growth disorder that makes her only 88cm tall, lower than her 2-year-old brother.

Jessica Ward rarely gets calm when coming anywhere. Babies often cry and cry because of the jokes of strangers. She had cartilage dysplasia , a bone development disorder , manifested by stunting. But Jessica's family insisted she was like any child.

6 years old, Jessica is only 88cm tall due to cartilage dysplasia,
she is much younger than her 7-year-old brother.

Her parents wanted to raise people's awareness of Jessica's illness. A month-long campaign was successful in the US and Jessica's family wanted to organize a similar campaign in the UK. Ms. Ward, Jessica's mother said that many people asked her about Jessica's condition and treated her like a normal girl.

"When they say she is a dwarf and they apologize. We don't want them to apologize, we just want people to think before opening their mouths," Ms. Ward said.

"She is Jessica, she is 6 years old and can do everything like everyone but maybe she needs a chair to stand up. She also realizes that she is different. Sometimes she asks at Why am I shorter than my classmates and my brother? "

Jessica's family always tried to get Jessica to be treated like other children. The indoor light is turned off by a sensor because Jessica cannot reach the switch, the door handle is also lowered, the bathroom is repaired and Jessica has an elevator.

Jessica's father said, "It's an ignorance. All we want to do is raise people's awareness of Jessica's condition. She's not a farce, she's a child. people and that is our daughter ".

Jessica took pictures with her parents and brother Nathan
7 years old and 2-year-old brother Ashley.

When she was 12 or 13 weeks old, she was diagnosed with cartilage dysplasia. The doctor said that she could not live past 1 year. The family has prepared for the worst but she has lived longer and now has a long life before her.

In the first year, Jessica had a cold and was sick, but she always passed. Right now, Jessica also has some other health problems: her bladder is just 1/4 normal normal size, hydrocephalus (an excess of a fluid in the brain that is called fluid from a specialty Cerebrospinal fluid), sleep apnea and bowlegged legs. However, Jessica's diseases are still controlled by regular testing.

In the promotion program for Stunting Month, Jessica's family also hopes to know other families affected by the disease. Ms. Ward joked: "Maybe we can find a small boyfriend for Jessica".