My younger brother Josh is 14 years old, a freshman in high school. He plays the drums, hates doing his homework, and is the biggest basketball fan you'll ever meet. He's funny, loving, compassionate, and energetic. He's just like any other high school boy, but is only 4 foot 8, putting him in the bottom of 1 percentile of boys his age.
Last year, my brother was diagnosed with Growth Hormone Deficiency. Unlike most complicated medical conditions, this one is exactly like it sounds; his body simply doesn't produce enough growth hormone.
For most of his life, Josh has been on the shorter side when compared to his peers. But that hasn't stopped him from playing every sport, from baseball to swimming to basketball. He has more energy and friends than I could ever hope for and still manages to be the perfect, annoying little brother.
We started noticing that the height gap between Josh and his friends was growing when he was in middle school, and he wasn't starting puberty yet. After many tedious doctors appointments and even more possible conditions, he was finally given the diagnosis for GHD. GHD is not a disability like dwarfism or achondroplasia. It's found in 1 in 4,000-10,000 children and in most cases the cause is unknown. And while someone with GHD may be shorter than their peers or have a younger looking face, it has no impact on their intelligence.
Treatment for GHD is not easy for most kids, especially those who have a fear of needles like Josh. He has to get a hormone injection in his thigh every night before bed. It's been about 7 months of therapy now and Josh has said it's gotten easier now. "It's become part of a routine now," he always says, "like brushing your teeth." Most kids go through about 3 years of treatment so while we've come a long way, and Josh has already grown about 2 inches, he still has quite a bit of time left. For him, the worst part now is that on nights when he wants to be out with his friends, he has to come home early to get the shot.
Learning that Josh had grown that 2 inches was a huge accomplishment in just these past few months. He still hasn't caught up to his peers, and while most of them don't discriminate against him because of his height, he says he still feels like they judge him. But being the optimistic boy he is, Josh doesn't let it bother him. He wishes everyone would know that "even after all of this, I'm still the same person. My personality hasn't changed." There's nothing wrong with my handsome little brother, he's the same as everyone else and he's his own person. As my mom always said, "He may be small but he has the biggest heart."
