This is Scarlett.

Scarlett is at the Hospital.

Scarlett is here because she has a rare genetic condition named Achondroplasia.

Having Achondroplasia means Scarlett has shorter arms and legs than someone without Achondroplasia. She also has problems with her back which sometimes makes it hard to sleep.

Achondroplasia is caused when one of two things happen. Either both of the child's parents have Achondroplasia, or it can occur in just the sperm cells of the father, or the egg cells of the mother. Achondroplasia develops when someone has one recessive normal FGFR3 gene and one dominant mutated FGFR3 gene. FGFR3 controls growth of children and if it isn't doing what it is supposed to do, it causes Achondroplasia.

There is no cure for Achondroplasia, but when Scarlett is old enough she will be able to take special pills which have a special hormone named Somatotropin to help her arms and legs grow and also help her back problems.

Even though Scarlett is different from the other kids in the hospital she knows she is special. She is special because only 1 in 40,000 children are born with Achondroplasia.

Scarlett goes to the hospital a lot because she sometimes wakes up in the middle of the night and can't breathe. This is called 'sleep apnea' and it happens a lot in people with Achondroplasia. Usually this is because they have a short neck and small chin which can affect their breathing.

There was only a small chance that Scarlett would live more than a few months because of her sleep apnea. She did, and is now she is 7 and just starting in Year 1.

This is Scarlett's special after operation room. It is on the top floor of the hospital and it has two windows so she can see the stars at night.

Having Achondroplasia is sometimes hard for Scarlett because she likes to cook at home but she needs her Mum to reach the things in the top shelf!

But games like hide and seek are easy because she can fit into small places. She can also roll up into a little ball so she is warm when she sleeps.