When people first meet baby Matthew Riddle, they assume that he is a newborn. But in reality, Matthew is 7-months-old. The confusion comes from how tiny he is. Matthew weighs just over three pounds. In order to fit his small frame, his parents get most of his clothes from Build-a-Bear or other doll stores.
“People think that he’s just born, and we’ll get ‘was he born five minutes ago?’ Or, ‘was he preemie, why is he so small?’” explains Matthew’s mother.
At just 28-weeks into her pregnancy, Jenevieve Cook had an induced labor after doctors realized that her baby wasn’t growing properly. Matthew was born just 1 pound, 2 ounces, spending 98 days in the NICU before finally getting to go home.
His parents left the hospital with an unclear diagnosis of Matthew’s condition.
“Before we got discharged they said he had the microcephaly. At that time, we were explained that his brain has stopped growing, we were told Matthew would not live very long, to not expect value of life,” said Cook.
Two months later, after more extensive tests were run, results came back that diagnosed Matthew with microcephalic osteodysplastic primordial dwarfism type II (MOPD II). The condition is a rare form of primordial dwarfism characterized by a short stature and other skeletal abnormalities. Since learning about Matthew’s diagnosis, the family has been traveling from their hometown of Louisville, Kentucky, around the country to provide him with the best care possible. They’ve been to Delaware for specialized treatment and are currently in California for a series of unique skull surgeries. The goal of the surgery is to prevent strokes and brain aneurysms, both common in people with MOPD II.
Although Matthew will be extremely small his whole life, his parents were thrilled to learn that he would walk, talk, and go to school just like any other child. In addition to his two older brothers, Matthew’s parents just want him to lead as normal of a life as possible.
“We do get a lot of people who are encouraging and they’re kind. But we also get a lot of people that are just beyond belief and they’re shocked when they see him,” said Cook.
The way his family sees it, being different isn’t a bad thing. “Matthew will be just like everybody else. He’ll be out there throwing the ball like a regular kid, he’s just extra small, there is nothing wrong with just being different,” said Cook.
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[Source: WLKY News Louisville]
