Ethan's Story

Photos Courtesy of  ~ Lisa Kryschuk Photography

This is Ethan. Some of his favorite things to do are playing his Nintendo DS and hot wheels cars. He is also awesome at doing puzzles. Like many little brothers, Ethan loves to terrorize his big sister! He has a kind heart and would do anything for anyone. He wants to be a professional soccer player when he grows up, which his mom is confident he will be!

On the day Ethan was born he was diagnosed with Thrombocytopenia Absent Radius Syndrome. This means he doesn’t have forearm bones in either arm. He also suffers from a blood disorder, which causes him to bruise very easily at times. His mother was scared at the diagnosis, but also happy that he was alive and in her life. “The hardest thing with this journey is watching him cry every time we have to go for blood work. Now that he's older and more understanding, he's noticing his disability compared to other children and is asking questions, such as how to answer other children that ask him questions. There are days when I close my bedroom door and sit and cry because it's frustrating and not fair to have to see an innocent little boy go through all of this.” 

But there are also amazing things about this journey too. There are days when his mom can sit and watch him for hours because he amazes her with some of things that he can do, in which no one with normal length

arms would be able to. He's always smiling and doesn't let anything bring him down. He loves to run (he was told not to, because this is when he gets hurt ) but he does it anyway because he loves it. Ethan is going to school this Fall and his mom is afraid he will think he is not good enough or “different” from everyone else, or that kids will call him names. If this happens she hopes he will not let it bring him down and crush his spirit. She wants him to grow up and be a successful man and never let his disability stop him.