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Monday, February 20, 2006 @ 12:00 AM EST
Dwarf Family: Meet the Fooses
The story of hope, faith, the unexplainable and the unbelievable
The Foos family is not a family you will easily forget, and it has nothing to do with their unusual last name. Joe, age 38 and Ginny, age 39 have been married for 15 years and are the proud parents of three outstanding children. They are, in almost every way, the typical American family; the majority of their time is spent juggling work, school, little league, household chores and homework assignments. But the one small detail that makes the Fooses stand out in the crowd is that the Foos are a family of dwarfs, or Little People, as they prefer to be called. And although their short stature is probably the first thing you’d notice about them, it’s certainly not the most important thing to remember about them.
As this remarkable family of Little People allows us into their intriguing world, we will see that there is much more to know about them than their creative techniques for functioning in an average sized world, and that while they are, indeed, smaller than most of us, there is nothing small about their ambition, creativity, and ability. If you disregard their physical size, you will instantly see that they are just like everyone else.
Just as many couples are challenged by health concerns when starting a family, Joe and Ginny knew they were up against some significant odds. Since they are both dwarfs, the chances that they would have a dwarf child were 50%, and that was ok. But the chances that they would pass on a “double dose” of the dwarf gene were 25% and that was not ok, because a “double dose” almost always proves to be fatal for the infant. For several terrifying days in the hospital, Ginny and Joe feared this was the case for their first son, Alex. Now, at age 13, Alex has made it through several surgeries to repair his respiratory system and is very much a typical 13 yr old boy. Their daughter Dasha, who they adopted from Russia, gave Joe and Ginny some additional concerns. Learning disabled and mildly autistic, Dasha, age 14, made this already complicated family considerably more complicated. Completing the Foos family unit is Ben, age 7, who, to the great relief of his parents, was born without health concerns.
As we follow the Foos family, we’ll see that their routines and to-do lists are very much like every other upper middle class, over-scheduled family’s, except that Ginny’s exceptional organization skills keep this group in astonishing order. A part-time school teacher, Ginny’s day begins early as she helps get Joe, a computer sales rep, and the three kids fed and out the door. Both Alex and Dasha attend the same Middle School where Ginny often teaches, but Dasha sees a special education teacher who has a detailed plan for developing her language and social skills. The children have average sized friends, participate in average sized activities, and are quite comfortable finding their place in an average sized world.
Extremely active in the San Francisco Little People community, both Joe and Ginny do all they can to educate anyone and everyone on what it means to be a Little Person. At heights of 4’2” and 3’9”, Joe and Ginny have devoted their lives to destroying the myths and misconceptions about their small stature, and often must deal with some rather “small-minded” people. While Ginny says that “it would be nice not to have to educate people every single day” on why she’s short, how she reaches things, where she buys her clothes, she realizes the importance of answering these questions. What they want everyone to know most of all, is that they are just like everyone else.
The Foos Family, will not only be a Day in the Life of this family of Little People, it will introduce viewers to a family that faces challenges head-on, challenges that any average-sized family would find difficult to manage. We’ll witness their daily struggle to fit into a world that isn’t built to fit them, and their amazing resolve to make their lives as normal as possible. Whatever preconceived notions that exist about dwarfs will be quickly forgotten upon meeting the Foos. Because in the case of the Foos, it’s not their first impression they’re concerned with, it’s their lasting impression.
modified: Friday, January 04, 2008 @ 02:07 PM EST
created: Friday, January 04, 2008 @ 02:07 PM EST
About Nemours
Nemours, one of the nation’s largest pediatric health systems, is dedicated to achieving higher standards in children’s health. Nemours offers an integrated spectrum of clinical treatment coupled with research, advocacy, and educational health and prevention services extending to all families in the communities it serves. Starting with Alfred I. duPont’s bequest over seventy years ago, Nemours has grown into a multi-dimensional organization offering personalized clinical and preventive care focused on children.
Nemours owns and operates the Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, Delaware and major children’s specialty clinics in Delaware (Wilmington), Florida (Jacksonville, Orlando and Pensacola), Pennsylvania (Philadelphia and Bryn Mawr) and New Jersey (Atlantic City and Voorhees). Having recently received preliminary approval from the State of Florida, Nemours will establish a new full-service children’s hospital as part of an integrated pediatric health campus in Orlando. KidsHealth.org, the world’s most visited pediatric health care Web site for parents, kids and teens, is a project of Nemours.
Nemours employs over 4,400 individuals, including 430 pediatric physicians, specialists and surgeons who cared for approximately a quarter of a million children in 2007. The organization’s goal is to align with parents, physicians, community leaders, children’s advocates and elected officials to ensure optimal wellness for every child. Additional information about Nemours can be found at www.nemours.org.
