kittydentures

Before I get to my question, I just wanted to say that TIL that limb lengthening surgery is an option for short people without dwarfism.

I'm short, no dwarfism, just had short parents which, genetics being what they are, made me short. I'm 4'10 and it took me years to be comfortable with my size, and it is still the first thing people remark on when they meet me. There is a weird fascination people have with short people, like we're not quite human. If I stop to think about it, it is pretty weird and creepy that many people see shortness as something alien.

Anyway, I desperately wanted to get the limb lengthening surgery when I was a teenager and my doctor flat out refused to even let it be an option, saying it was only for people with dwarfism and even then, he didn't condone it. So, we dropped it. Ultimately, I made peace with my height and now, in my mid-30s, it doesn't bother me much at all. Like most things, physical "flaws" are a huge deal as a teenager, but over time, you just stop giving a shit for the most part and learn to be at peace with the body nature gave you.

Though it still pisses me off that the vast majority of cars are designed for the average male size, meaning I frequently need to sit on a cushion to see over the steering wheel.

What's your biggest pet peeve as a short person?

This is a great question. My dad was a helicopter ambulance pilot in Vietnam and he only ever talked about the good memories he had. Of course, the flip side is that he was flying into active battles and pulling pieces of people out of them and he saw a lot of ugly horrible stuff... But he always talked about how beautiful the country was and how he wanted to go back when the war was over and see it again. His letters are filled with funny stories about the guys in his unit, about the interesting fauna & flora he found, about the kids who would hang around, playing with the soldiers...

Vietnam broke a lot of people, my dad included (he died at the age of 34 from a heart attack), but he managed to get out of there with most of his spirit intact.

What made you want to study inflammatory bowel disease specifically in Americans?

That's rough. I just barely escaped needing pedal extensions, though there is a school of thought that insists I need to use a booster seat to align my torso with the steering wheel in such a way as to avoid getting killed if the airbag deploys. I just find that concept insulting, no matter how rational it is. I'm a mother-fucking adult. I don't need a goddamn booster seat like a child!

Even if most children over the age of eight are taller than me. :P

4'10. My legs are long enough to reach the pedals in most cars, but I have more of an issue seeing over the steering wheel. And bucket seats are the bane of my existence, which sucks, because I love classic muscle cars.