People have been riveted by Hulus “Good American Family”, which tells the complex and devastating story of Natalia Grace. As the drama series shows, Grace was a Ukrainian orphan with a rare form of dwarf Adopted by an American family at the age of 8, just to later be accused of being an adult posing as a child. Grace was eventually abandoned by her adoptive family, but genetic testing proved that she was actually a child when she was adopted.
History is worrying, and unfortunately it is based on a true story. But it also gets a lot of attention to show how complex and confusing the experience was for everyone involved. One of the show’s stars, Imogen Faith Reid, gets lots of praise to bring Grace’s story to life. Like Grace, the 27-year-old also has dwarfism.
Reid says she “often forgets” that she has the medical condition, which is characterized by having an adult height of 4 feet 10 inches or less. But the condition also comes up regularly in her life from people who do not know enough. In front of the reid de takeaways that she wants people to know about her condition, what it was like to play Natalia Grace and what people get wrong about dwarf.
Reid has a different form of dwarf than Natalia Grace.
Although it is also rare, Reid’s form of dwarfism is different from Grace’s condition. Reid was diagnosed with Russell-Silver syndrome. Infants with the condition usually have a low birth weight and do not grow and gain weight at the expected speed, according to US National Library of Medicine.
“This type of dwarf makes me in proportion,” says Reid. “My family explains it to people I liken Thumbelina, because she’s just a small character.”
Reid says her condition causes her to have bent pinkies as well. “Often children are born with Russell-Silver syndrome with blond hair, which I was,” she adds.
People do not always realize that she is an adult.
Reid is 27, but she says that people who do not know her assume she is much younger. “People don’t often know that I’m a little person and just think I’m a child,” she says. “I think this is due to the lack of information that is there about dwarfism and that there are different types that people just don’t know about.” (There is more than 300 Terms It causes dwarfism and a number of symptoms linked to the genetic condition.)
But Reid emphasizes that it is important for the public to realize that people with dwarfs also live ordinary lives. “We’re just people, just like you,” she says. “We do daily tasks like you and try to live a normal life just like you.”
Reid says there are some challenges that come with having dwarfism. “We may have to adapt when we can’t reach anything,” Reid says, noting that she has to climb her kitchen counter every morning or use a pallet to get to things that are placed high up. “But there is nothing we can’t do when we adapt,” she adds.
Dwarfism is not on her mind all the time.
While Dwarfism affects Reid’s status, she says there is not much on her mind. “I often forget that I have it,” she says. “I have my friends and family to thank for that because they just treat me like me.”
But Reid says she has to adapt a lot; It’s just something that is normal for her. “I’m not sure if this is because I’m little or I’m just weak, but I can’t open water bottles sometimes,” she says. “My friends know immediately that I need help before I have to say anything, which I appreciate.”
Not everyone supports.
While Reid has a strong network of friends and family, she says some people can be unfriendly. “I get stared at a lot and made fun of the street,” she says. “It’s often by teens, girls and boys.”
Reid says people will assume she is “a child trying to dress older” and comment on it. “But sometimes they can train that I am a small person and still make fun of my appearance,” she says. “Depending on the mood I am on that day it can really affect me or I don’t care.”
She was not familiar with Natalia Grace’s story before the audition process.
While Grace’s story made headlines in the United States, Reid says it was not really covered in the UK, where she comes from. So she had to do her own research. “So many articles said different things about the case, whether she turned out to be an adult or that she was really a child,” says Reid. “I think it was so fascinating to cover a story like this.”
Reid also says it was “so surreal” to land the part of Grace, which is her first major role. “I remember sitting at a restaurant with my best friend and saw the contract called” Natalia “, she says.” It just felt so exciting and overwhelming. At the same time … I thought, ‘Can I really do this?’
She hopes that “good American family” will open the senses of others.
Reid says she grew as a person while she played grace and she hopes that others will also watch the show. “I wanted to fight for that justice and for her story to be seen,” she says.
She also hopes that history will help people learn not to judge others based on how they look, sound and act. “It’s ok for someone to be different from us,” she says.
Her one request: If you see her on the street and have questions, simply talk to her. Don’t point. Don’t stare. Ask respectfully. “I am a very open person and would love to help you understand,” she says. “Maybe you will go away and know a different perspective in life.”
Corin Miller is a writer specialized in general wellness, health and lifestyle trends. Her work has emerged in women’s health, herself, health, Forbes and more.
