My "Uncle Ro" (Rolland) passed away on Saturday, November 14th. Growing up with an achondroplasia dwarf as a relative certainly made for an interesting life experience. When I was younger I really didn't know what to make of him, other than he was funny and he was my uncle. What more did I need to concern myself with?
Over time I came to understand more of what his daily life was like and the challenges that were often presented to him when trying to complete the "simplest" of tasks. In fact, I wrote a paper about him in an English class in college that was focused on how a day in his life was very different than a day in my life. Daily tasks that seem so normal could be quite a pain. I always consider myself short compared to most other people and at barely 5'4" that seems about right. Even so, I have a hard time reaching certain things in the grocery store and in the cupboards at home. What happens when you are under 4'10" tall? You really can't reach as much stuff!
He had a great sense of humor and tried to make the best out of his situation as much as possible. Even at the expense of making jokes about himself. He is definitely missed. Especially his infectious laugh when he thought something was particularly funny! ~Heather
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