00:00We are sisters who have dwarfism.
00:02I'm 3 feet 3 inches tall.
00:03And I'm 2'10".
00:04I started hearing a lot of,
00:06well, why are your parents spending all this money
00:08to take you to the doctors when you're going to be useless?
00:11They should just let you die.
00:13A lot of men see women with short stature as a .
00:17Well, how do you guys kiss?
00:19Do you guys have ?
00:20My husband's name is Brian.
00:23My boyfriend's name is Daniel.
00:25There's also the understanding of,
00:27oh, you guys are taking advantage of us.
00:30I'm going to put it on this table.
00:32Yeah, I know, because the island is too tall.
00:34Jesse and I have diastrophic dysplasia,
00:37which is a rare type of dwarfism.
00:38The physical effect is mainly short stature.
00:42But aside from that, everything else is average.
00:45Organs and our minds,
00:47everything works the same as any average person.
00:49And the life expectancy is the same.
00:51I was born in Mexico.
00:53And back in the days,
00:55doctors have very little information
00:57about someone with my type of dwarfism.
01:00They immediately told my parents,
01:03you'll be lucky if she can live to 10 years old.
01:07When I became a young teenager,
01:10instead of growing, I started shrinking.
01:13The scoliosis causes the curvature of the spine,
01:16which can trigger the hyposis, which is the bump.
01:20Growing up as a young kid, I did feel very pretty.
01:24I think it was because I will get all this attention.
01:27I thought it was positive attention.
01:28People will be like,
01:29oh, look at the little girls.
01:31But once I reached my teenage years,
01:33then I felt extremely ugly and different.
01:36So for about six to 10 years,
01:39I did not look at myself in the mirror.
01:41I hated the mirror.
01:42I started having more medical challenges
01:45and that led into a lot of mean comments.
01:49That's when I started hearing a lot of,
01:51well, why are your parents spending all this money
01:54to take you to the doctors
01:55when you're going to be useless?
01:56They should just let you die.
01:58So I think that at that point is when I came to realize
02:01that being a little person was going to impact me for life.
02:05It was very hard.
02:07It was very hard.
02:08People will think that the biggest challenge was medical issues.
02:12However, I think that the biggest challenge was society.
02:15It makes me think of, hmm, you know, you were actually very vulnerable.
02:20You know, you were just a little child
02:21that had to deal with adult comments, per se.
02:26Then at age 19, I had a spine fusion surgery.
02:31And after going through that struggle,
02:33I developed more self-confidence.
02:35And I said, no more.
02:36You know, I am going to love my body.
02:38Since I was born six years before Celia,
02:42I have shared the strengths and the weaknesses
02:45that come with having dwarfism.
02:48And I wanted to make sure that she could have a better chance than I did.
02:53Why did you start on the business?
02:54Because I watched a lot of TikToks of treat makers,
02:57and I love being in the kitchen.
02:59So I was like, I think I could do that.
03:02And so I started making them.
03:03And before I knew it, I was getting a lot of clients.
03:05Is that the one I made?
03:07See, it's delicious, right?
03:09It's really sweet.
03:10It may seem easy, but it's not.
03:12It's very time-consuming,
03:13especially for someone with my condition,
03:16having to stand for long periods of time.
03:18Since I knew that physically we couldn't do much,
03:22I will remind my younger sister,
03:24you are very smart.
03:25So dedicate as much as you can
03:27to having a really good education.
03:29I'm a teacher.
03:30And I never thought I would be a teacher.
03:32I was always very shy,
03:33like being in front of big audiences.
03:37So now I have to be.
03:38I am a psychotherapist.
03:39I know the challenges,
03:41the emotional challenges.
03:42Having a condition that made my life
03:45even extra difficult.
03:47Being able to have a broader perspective
03:49allows me to help my clients better.
03:52I am going for the world record
03:55of the shortest psychotherapist in the planet.
03:59In order to get the world record,
04:02I need to go and get measured
04:05by a medical provider
04:06three times on the same day
04:08at different times.
04:10I thought it would be a good opportunity
04:12to educate people
04:14about little people being professionals.
04:17So I just need you and Brian
04:19help to start measuring today.
04:22My husband's name is Brian.
04:26Brian is 5'9".
04:30This thing is bigger than me.
04:32My wedding album.
04:34Oh, there's you.
04:36Before I met my husband Brian,
04:39I never thought about getting married.
04:41But then I met him and I said,
04:43why am I going to deny myself
04:45the opportunity
04:46to be with someone so incredible?
04:50It meant so much for me
04:51to be able to dance
04:52with my dad on my wedding day.
04:57I remember that she did not
04:59want to get married
05:00over there in our town.
05:01She wanted something more private,
05:03more intimate.
05:04This one.
05:04Oh my God.
05:05I know that there's even
05:06this curiosity per se about,
05:09well, how do you guys kiss?
05:11Do you guys have
05:12things like that?
05:13So I didn't want to be
05:15in my wedding day
05:16and really worried about
05:18who's staring or who's there
05:20just because they just want
05:21to make fun of me.
05:23Hi, babe.
05:24How's your day today?
05:25Are you ready?
05:26Yeah, I'm ready.
05:27I hold the bottom,
05:27you hold the top.
05:28Okay.
05:2983 and a half.
05:2983 and a half.
05:30And I need to be in like
05:31under 84, I believe,
05:33to be able to meet it.
05:35I'm excited.
05:36Just to be able to create
05:37a little more awareness
05:38and for my parents,
05:40it's also another reminder
05:42that we made it.
05:43I succeeded.
05:44And it would be nice
05:44to put something else on the wall.
05:45Right?
05:46Seeing Jesse and Brian
05:48so happy,
05:48it just made me realize
05:50that love can be found anywhere.
05:52I just thought, yeah,
05:53maybe one day I could
05:54have that too, you know?
05:55I'm currently in a relationship.
05:57I met him four months ago
05:59and we actually started
06:01being official a month ago.
06:03It's very challenging to date.
06:06Being a little person
06:07has made it extra difficult.
06:09In terms of uncertainty,
06:11you never really know
06:12whether the person is trying
06:14to get to know you for who you are.
06:16There have been guys
06:17who have straight up told me
06:19that they just want to know
06:20what it feels like
06:21to be with someone like myself.
06:23A lot of men see
06:25women with short stature as a
06:27.
06:27It takes time for you to build
06:29that trust with the person
06:30and to really know
06:31what exactly are they looking for.
06:34It's up to you
06:35to be able to decide
06:37when you're willing
06:38to give them the chance
06:39to prove you
06:40that they're here
06:40for the right reasons.
06:44My boyfriend's name is Daniel.
06:46Daniel is five feet five.
06:48Hey babe.
06:49Hey babe.
06:50How are you?
06:52So Danny, not your dating
06:53said I guess you're
06:55going to be dealing
06:55with a few of the things
06:56that me and Jesse
06:57dealt with as a couple.
06:58People judging,
06:59people looking,
07:00things like that.
07:01Yeah, I never really cared
07:02really much about
07:03what people think.
07:04People are always
07:05going to have their opinions
07:06but as long as
07:07you're happy, you know.
07:08People, when they see
07:10a couple like Ryan and I
07:12or now you and Celia,
07:13they either assume that
07:15we're looking for a caregiver
07:17or that
07:18you guys have a .
07:20And third,
07:21there's also the understanding
07:23of, oh,
07:24you guys are taking
07:25advantage of us.
07:26So that is something
07:27that you are going to
07:28have to deal with a lot.
07:30So we have to be
07:31extra careful.
07:32And if you communicate
07:33well,
07:34she will be able to
07:35tell you when
07:36and how she needs help.
07:37So you got to tell me
07:38whenever you want me
07:39to kick somebody's butt.
07:41No, I actually do ask
07:42for help when I need it.
07:43So I feel like
07:44I'll be comfortable
07:45asking him if I ever
07:46do anything.
07:47Not only we're females
07:48but we're disabled
07:50so we mature faster.
07:53So him knowing
07:54when to follow you
07:55but also when disabled
07:56also this is my piece too.
07:59She's also the one
07:59who basically
08:00sets up our goals.
08:02She's the one who has
08:02the life plan set up for us
08:04and I'm here following her
08:05so we can get to
08:07where we want to get to.
08:08I admire my sister
08:10because she's definitely
08:11someone that knows
08:13how to fight
08:14for what she wants.
08:15She has overcome
08:17a lot of obstacles
08:18since she was a child.
08:20The fact that she
08:21is where she is
08:22right now makes me
08:23feel very proud
08:23and I always
08:25look up to her for that.
08:26I'm just excited to continue
08:28to empower other people
08:30too.
08:31Makes me feel very proud.
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