- Life really is not fair most times,otherwise how can you explain two sisters born on the same day and one is perfectly formed and healthy while the second has to be so unfortunate,riddled with physical pain and saddled with an incurable medical condition?Read the incredible and brave story of this amazing girl called Sienna from Texas.
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| Incredible Twin sisters. |
- Sienna 'Sinny' Bernal from Texas was so small she was not spotted on scans until six months into her mother's pregnancy
- As she ages her list of ailments continues to grow and she still needs surgery to correct a curvature of the spine
- However, the twin, who has a passion for dance and cheer leading, approaches life like any other teenager.
An identical twin born with primordial dwarfism has told how her much taller sister looks out for her - especially when it comes to dating boys.
Sienna 'Sinny' Bernal, 15, from Houston, Texas, told ABC's 20/20 that she has had three boyfriends so far. But lacking the qualities she was looking for, she 'broke up with all three of them.'
She added that her 5ft 4in sibling, Sierra, who towers over her 4ft frame, 'can be bossy but she shows me how to flirt with boys, stands up for me if I'm teased and reaches things when they're too high.'
Close bond: Sienna looks up to her identical twin Sierra who is more than a foot taller than she is - the 15-year-old was born with primordial dwarfism, a rare genetic condition which stunts growth
With no body fat, the blue-eyed blonde weighs around 45lbs and wears toddlers clothing. As she ages, her list of ailments continues to grow.
But she she doesn't let her condition get her down and approaches life like any other teenage girl.
'I'm in a lot of pain [but] I'm very tough, you know,' she says.
Sienna still needs surgery to correct a curvature of the spine and the bones in her ears are so small she has to wear hearing aids.
She also requires orthodontic work to correct her jawline and attends special needs classes. Her learning age is the same as an eight-year-old's due to another rare condition, called Dandy Walker syndrome which affects her brain.
'I want people to know that when you see someone little, you should just probably help them if they need help'
However, the teen, who has a passion for dance and cheer leading, is determined to help others in her position and fend off discrimination.
'I want [people] to know . . . that when you see someone little, you should just probably help them if they need help,' she said.
'Make them feel comfortable about themselves.'
Sienna's mother, Chrissy, 36, previously told 20/20 how she was continually amazed by her daughter's unwavering courage.
Miracle: Sienna weighed just over a pound and fit neatly into the palm of her mother's hand when she was born
Energetic: Now 12-years-old, Sienna lives just as full a life as her sister does though does encounter health problems
Surprise: Sienna, left, was only picked up on ultrasound scans six months into mother Chrissy's pregnancy because she was so small
Growing up together: The blonde-haired, blue-eyed teens love shopping, wearing make-up and giggling about boys. But due to a rare brain abnormality Sienna also has the learning age of an eight year old
'Sienna doesn't let [her condition] affect her - when she comes home she'll often shout, "Dwarf in the house!"
'Though it sometimes gets her down that she can't play volleyball like Sierra and the boys don't show as much interest in her.
'Sienna doesn't let her condition affect her - when she comes home she'll often shout, "Dwarf in the house!"'
'I try to treat the girls as equals. Sienna has a real passion for life and makes everyone laugh. I'm so proud of both my girls.'
When she was born three months premature, Sienna weighed just over 1lb and was nearly six weeks behind her sister in development.
She was so tiny that a wedding ring could fit around her arm.
She was immediately rushed into surgery to correct a hole in the heart and doctors gave her a ten per cent chance of survival. If she lived, they originally deducted that she would be a vegetable and would not have a normal life.
But after 108 days in neonatal intensive care the newborn was fit enough to join her family at home.
On top of the world: Sienna has special needs classes, but attends the same school as her twin where she also has lessons in Taekwondo, hip hop dancing and cheerleading
Mrs Bernal, who lives with her daughters, their step-dad Joey and his son Austin, said, recalling the chain of events: 'Sienna was five weeks behind in development and they said she might not survive - but I refused to believe the worst.
'I had a C-section at 34 weeks. It was terrifying, the girls were tiny and Sienna looked like an alien.
'She had a big head and her skin was see-though. We could hold her in one hand, she wore nappies that were smaller than an iPod, and we bought her dolls' clothes. But the girls' bond was immediate.'
It was not until six years after her birth that Sienna was diagnosed with primordial dwarfism, a "disorder which means she has had a smaller body size than others her age since before she was born".
Sienna is the only primordial dwarf to have an average sized twin.
Now 15 years on Sienna can't help but look up to her sister, Sierra who measures over 5ft 4in.
And she will look up to her twin more and more over the coming years as she is unlikely to grow any taller.
Chrissy, pictured with her daughters and their step-dad Joey says: 'Sienna doesn't let it affect her - when she comes home she'll often shout, "Dwarf in the house!"'
The siblings love shopping, wearing make-up and giggling about boys.
Concluding about living with dwarfism, Sienna said: 'Most of the time I don't really care I'm different - it actually makes me feel special.
'Sierra looks out for me and we do loads together - shopping, swimming and singing.'
'We could hold her in one hand, she wore nappies that were smaller than an iPod, and we bought her dolls' clothes'
Dr Michael Bober, a leading researcher on primordial dwarfism at the Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children in Delaware, said: 'Primordial dwarfism is really an umbrella or class of disorders, it is not a precise diagnosis.
'A primordial dwarf is an individual who, from the very beginning of their growth in utero, grows at a slower rate. And when they're born, and after birth, they continue to grow at a slower rate.'
The research in this area, Dr Bober explained, is relatively new.
His research team, along with the Potentials Foundation, is currently collecting DNA for a new registry of individuals with various forms of primordial dwarfism.
Mrs Bernal blogs about Sienna's life on SinnySized, and has written books about her own experience raising a daughter with special needs.
source DailyMail uk
source DailyMail uk