Adam
Adam was born on June 16, 1987 in London, Ontario. We called him our little "peanut" because he was so small when he was born, but that didn't stop Adam from thriving. If you see any pictures of Adam he was always smiling and happy. He had chipmunk cheeks, and was happy to follow his big brother around all day long. He sang all the time, and he talked before he was two years old.
He is now 21 years old, but was diagnosed when he was seven years old. The first seven years were tough years of travelling to many doctor's and hospitals to try to find a diagnosis for the large painful swellings that eventually turned to bone on his small body.
We had many different diagnoses during that time. Rheumatoid nodules, rheumatoid arthritis, cancer, myositis ossificans, yet none really fit exactly what was happening to Adam. Then when he was playing with his brother on the jungle gym in the back yard and had a fall, he was taken to the hospital for X-rays of his shoulder.
The technician there was shocked to see Adam's bony back of hills and valley's and asked me what Adam had. I said, I didn't know, that no one knew. The technician said he has a father in Toronto who is a doctor and he is sure they have spoken of seeing another child like Adam. He said he would contact his father, who in turn would contact my GP. So after an agonizing wait of a couple of weeks, the call came in, and I went to speak to the GP. That conversation led us to Philadelphia, PA and to an amazing man, and doctor named Dr. Fred Kaplan, and to the correct diagnosis of Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva.
That was 14 years ago and Adam is still always happy and smiling. He loves comedy and playing on his computer. His favorite things are playing World of Warcraft and sports games on his X-box 360. His FOP has taken over his body, but not his spirit. He makes his family laugh on a daily basis. His favorite saying is, " I wanted to be a stand up comedian, but I can't stand up."
He's an inspiration to all who meet him and everyone ends up loving him !
He is now 21 years old, but was diagnosed when he was seven years old. The first seven years were tough years of travelling to many doctor's and hospitals to try to find a diagnosis for the large painful swellings that eventually turned to bone on his small body.
We had many different diagnoses during that time. Rheumatoid nodules, rheumatoid arthritis, cancer, myositis ossificans, yet none really fit exactly what was happening to Adam. Then when he was playing with his brother on the jungle gym in the back yard and had a fall, he was taken to the hospital for X-rays of his shoulder.
The technician there was shocked to see Adam's bony back of hills and valley's and asked me what Adam had. I said, I didn't know, that no one knew. The technician said he has a father in Toronto who is a doctor and he is sure they have spoken of seeing another child like Adam. He said he would contact his father, who in turn would contact my GP. So after an agonizing wait of a couple of weeks, the call came in, and I went to speak to the GP. That conversation led us to Philadelphia, PA and to an amazing man, and doctor named Dr. Fred Kaplan, and to the correct diagnosis of Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva.
That was 14 years ago and Adam is still always happy and smiling. He loves comedy and playing on his computer. His favorite things are playing World of Warcraft and sports games on his X-box 360. His FOP has taken over his body, but not his spirit. He makes his family laugh on a daily basis. His favorite saying is, " I wanted to be a stand up comedian, but I can't stand up."
He's an inspiration to all who meet him and everyone ends up loving him !
