Meet Kate Moe

Hello,

As we begin an exciting year at Little Pilgrim School, we wanted to take a moment and introduce our daughter, Kate Moe. Many of you know Kate from afternoon 3's last year as well.We hope that by giving you some information up front, we can answer some questions that you and your family may have.

Kate was born with a condition called achondroplasia, which is a form of dwarfism. It means she has shorter limbs than most kids and will reach an adult height of about four feet. It doesn’t affect IQ or lifespan. Mostly she’s just like any other kid: active, fun-loving, excited to be at school, and ready to learn and play.

We learned of Kate’s condition shortly before she was born and it came as a big surprise. Both of us, as well as Kate’s older brother Charlie, are of average height but achondroplasia is a dominant gene that randomly occurs in about one out of every 20,000 live births. It’s the most common form of dwarfism (the mom and one of the kids on the TLC reality show Little People, Big World have it) although there are over 200 known forms of dwarfism over all.

Being a little person has meant many things for Kate. She is often mistaken for being much younger than she is. Kate’s four years old and will be five in October but she’s about as tall as an 18-month-old. “Look at the baby!” is something we’ve heard more than once while out in public. It’s also meant a lot of people staring at her since they can’t figure out how someone so little can be riding a scooter or a bike.

Her shorter limbs also mean certain challenges for Kate when it comes to interacting with her world but usually with a bit of creativity, determination, and a stool she can get to anything she needs. She was born with extremely low muscle tone and while she’s built up quite a bit of strength since then, her speech can sometimes be a little difficult to understand.

Kate’s dwarfism is not all there is to Kate, however. She loves every dog she meets on the sidewalk, adores playing with her Littlest Pet Shop toys and Care Bears, is excited to play on a soccer team this year, and enjoys listening to music (heavy metal is her favorite but The Wiggles are good too) as well as making up her own songs. She can’t wait to make new friends.

A note on language: Kate is a “dwarf”, a “person with dwarfism”, or a “little person”. The word “midget” is considered an offensive slur by most little people and is sometimes used when teasing. Of course, it works best if you just call her Kate. If you have any questions about Kate or about dwarfism, feel free to ask next time you see us or give us a call at 932-9676.

Thanks,
John and Jill Moe

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