Good Things Come in Small Packages - by Adriana Garcia

My journey began when I was twelve and me and my twin sister had a doctor's appointment with our pediatrician to get our twelve-year-old shots we needed to enter 7th grade. My pediatrician noticed I was much shorter than my twin sister.

She was a bit concerned about it and just wanted to make sure it was nothing, and suggested I see an endocrinologist to get his opinion and recommendations. He decided to get some blood work to find out if there was an issue, or if I was just delayed in growth. I got the blood work done, and he asked us to schedule an appointment in six months to go over the results.

Well, the six months passed by,and it was the day of my appointment and he gave me the news that I had a chromosomal disorder called Turner syndrome, which is the reason that I was delayed in growth. And, since I was a late diagnosis, he suggested that I start on growth hormones, which is a shot that I had to take every night. He wanted to make sure I would be able to get as much growth in as possible, since I was only 4 ft. 3 in. at the time of my diagnosis. It was a bit of a challenge at first as I had a bit of a fear of needles. But, after time, I got used to it.

After five years of taking them every night since I was in seventh grade, I took my last growth hormone shot ever on October 16th 2019, in the fall of my senior year. I am so grateful to my family for giving me the opportunity to get that treatment and can now say that I am standing at 4 feet and 11 inches tall. Thank you for taking the time and reading my story!