A man without a thigh because of a rare disease

A man without a femur right from birth because of a rare disease found his love for a girl who knew through social networks.

Nathan Hrdlicka, 34, of Santa Fe, New Mexico, is only 1m37 tall due to a rare genetic condition. He had no femur from birth and was often teased by people as 'dwarfs'.

He is one of the 25 cases in the world with a type D deficiency (PFFD) - meaning the knee is located just below the pelvis.

Nathan is also the only person with PFFD who can still walk, although this is not an easy challenge for him.

Nathan's height difference and his condition made both of them curious when they left the street.(Photo: Claudio 'Flore' Fiordeliisi / Barcoft Images).

However, this guy still found a sweet love for his familiar girlfriend via social networking, Chelsee Stuart, 19.

The couple shared that the difference in height of the two made them always get the curious eyes of those around them.

'I don't see myself as a different person. When people met me, the first thing they looked at was my disability, but the short legs did not represent me , "Nathan said.

Sharing about the love of his life, Nathan said he met and chatted with Chelsee through Facebook and they fell in love immediately.

'When we met for the first time, I thought the difference in height would be a problem. It took us a lot of time to get to know each other and learn how to get along with each other about physical activities, " Chelsee said.

One of the biggest challenges facing the couple is that Chelsee is very active, enjoys outdoor activities.

'I like walking and exploring in the forest. It would be great to do that with the person I love but it's difficult for Nathan. He could not follow, so I had to find another companion ' , she said.

The two also received the curious eyes of the surrounding people whenever they walked out on the road together.

Chelsea said, some people looked with eyes as if 'What's going on?' just because of our height difference. They approached the couple and asked about Nathan's condition then expressed their amazement about both for each other.

His girlfriend always encourages and helps Nathan practice.(Photo: Claudio 'Flore' Fiordeliisi / Barcoft Images).

As for Nathan, Chelsee is like a spiritual fulcrum. ' She supported me, won me love in a way I never had in my life,' he said.

Nathan's condition currently has no treatment. Every day, he still uses drugs to fight pain and go to therapy centers for advice, physical and mental health care. '

Nathan was not insured and did not receive disability payments, so he started a campaign called Gofund Me to earn $ 25,000 for medical expenses.

The couple also started jewelry business and planned to open a healing center in Iceland and provide painkillers.

Nathan hopes in the future his illness will be controlled and can use his experiences and stories to help people overcome the difficult times of rare diseases.