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Show Mail to: Ambassador, 7822 South 46th Street, Phoenix, Anzona 85044 Of MYMENT -Check inclosed ipayobU to AmtoeseadoO. MM GMasUrCard METHOO CradK Canl Ho. (Print a Signature LITTLE PEOPLE I continued gt.) X . 6R0513 SENOTO: Name AZ Address Apt No. State City . - rodents add Sorry; sates tax. no COO'S. Z.p Ambassador's Le Claire Bag and Matching Wallet Buckskin (27) less you become emotionally involved. I have had a medical colleague describe me as an oddball who treats weirdos. That's how some people regard dwarfs, but I am totally, utterly captivated by these little people and their courage. Kopits involvement with little people began in 1968 when he was chief pediatric orthopedist at Johns Hopkins. Called to the emergency room to examine a boy who had been paralyzed after a slap in the face from his father, Kopits discovered that the child was a dwarf a fact unknown to the parents. Soon after, Kopits dropped by a Baltimore convention of Little People of America and was touched by the n dwarfs many sight of some disabled hobbling and shuffling around on crutches and in wheelchairs. It had a big emotional impact," he remembers. 1 thought, in this day of modem medicine, how can this be? Delving into medical textbooks left him even more disturbed because there were few answers and little information of real value. Kopits began seeking out dwarf patients as he explored and perfected new surgical techniques, accumulating a body of research that he hopes to publish. A group of supporters also launched the Little People's Research Fund, headquartered at Baltimore's St. Joseph Hospital. Says Peggy Albert, the research funds executive director: Every week I get calls from desperate parents with horror stories about what's happening to their children. A mother from Georgia called recently she has an dwarf daughter and told me that their doctor was trying to cure the child's bowed legs by having them broken and reset each year. It's tragic how much ignorance remains on this subject." Two basic conditions cause dwarfism. pituitary dwarfs lack growth hormones, and they remain tiny. In the d but past, these persons were known as midgets, but this term is now regarded as insulting. Growth hormones have helped eliminate much pituitary dwarfism. The most common cause of dwarfism is genetic mutations that cause bones to form and grow improperly, resulting in disproportionate bodies. There are more than 80 different syndromes responsible for these bone dysplasias. The condition is often accompanied by severe bowing of the legs, hip problems, clubfeet and problems with the heart, spine and respiratory system. These genetic dwarfs are the focus of Dr. Kopits work. Their parents tend to be of normal size, incidentally. At 8 a.m. on a recent Monday. I watch Kopits operate on Stephen Hatch. 15. who lives in American Fork, near Provo. Utah. Stephen has pseudo-acho- n two-doze- So-call- U.& Pat 3758305 Extraordinary features in one handbag...plus a completely organized wallet to match. ..plus your 3 initials' Fresh styling, beautifully crafted in durable Ambahyde Expanded VlnyL Two zippered main sections are dtaded by a center snap-dosection.. .front compartment has a zippered wall pocket rear has pocket for matching BMoid VMM and places for the Snap-iKey Holders. ..plus 2 more zip front pockets! Approx. No. 56689 13L x 10"H x 3WW with 20" handles. Vinyl fning. 4 lovely colors. se n White (25) $1098 f ed short-stature- ed Free rviofwBnoni FREE Leather Sewing Kit ...just for sending in your order! 100 SATISFACTION GUARANTEED I understand Vrat if I am not 100 satisfied with my purchase, can return it for a full refund. droplasia. His head and torso are normally proportioned but his legs are stunted and bowed and his arms are short. When Stephen was . we took him to a Little People's convention in Reno and met Dr. Kopits," says his mother, Beth Hatch. We watched a girl who was as straight as a stick and was actually dancing. Dr. Kopits said the girl had been like Stephen before he had operated on her. Kopits had realigned Stephen's hips two weeks earlier. The next task was to straighten his legs. This Monday, the goal is to straighten Stephen's right leg, which takes eight hours. Before setting the hips and legs in a new plaster cast. Kopits invites me to examine the two legs. The right one is now discemibly straighter and also about three inches longer. The next days schedule has Dr. Kopits booked to see patients from Maryland. Texas. Alabama. West Germany and Israel. Pat Hutson, who has traveled from Bonn. West Germany, with her daughter, says of Kopits: He's our child's link to a more hopeful world. He will give her a future." Gordon and Virginia Hendrickson of Rochester, N. Y.. have brought their daughter Sheri to Baltimore to see Kopits. She's been examined by six specialists. explains Mrs. Hendrickson. They're baffled. They dont know what to do. and they can't help Sheri. She's been taking 10 codeines a day for the pain, and the pills aren't helping. We heard about Dr. Kopits, and we felt this was our only chance. After a lengthy examination of the girl. Kopits iscleariy touched. Her pains, he explains, are probably not orthopedic in origin but may be related to her dwarfism. . I'm just a poor orthopedist from East Baltimore," Kopits says with a wry smile, but 1 want you to know that I care about you. and I'm going to do everything in my power to help you get well. He then gives the Hendricksons his home telephone number, tells them to call if there are any problems overnight and arranges to have their daughter admitted to the hospital for tests. As the family leaves his office. Kopits bends his lanky frame down, hugs his new patient and kisses her on the cheek. She is clearly smitten. Kopits watches the family leave and shakes his head. Six doctors, and none could help her. he observes. Its tragic really. All the time. I see the desperation of good physicians who can't do anything for these patients. That is what IS keeps me going." 1 1 ' For more information, write to: Peggy Albert, Little Peoples Research Fund. St. Joseph Hospital. Dept. P, 80 Sister Pierre Drive, Towson, Md. 21204. I PA6E 14 FEBRUARY 2, 1966 PMMK MA6AZMC |
