Hi! 

My name is Mia Kertesz and I am 13 years old and am in Year 8 at West Moreton Anglican College, Ipswich. I have been heavily involved in sports all my life. I first started competing in Little Athletics when I was 5 years old, and my mum and dad had to run next to me. 8 years on, and I have competed at State and National events (mum and dad are in the grandstands now, thank gosh!). I love competing in sports as it keeps me fit and healthy but also to make lifelong friends and love the thrill of good competition.

I have a medical condition that makes my bones grow very slowly. I will never be as tall as most of you. This is called Achondroplasia or dwarfism. I can still do most of the same things you can do, like sports, laughing, and joking around. It is quite common to have questions and I want to help you understand more about dwarfism.

In the olden days the word “midget” was used, but it is now highly offensive, so we use words like short-statured or little person. There are over 200 different types of dwarfism and Achondroplasia is the most common form. You might have seen the actor Peter Dinklage in Pixels or in Games of Thrones, or Kiruna Stamell from playschool (which my little brother watches) – they are little people just like me. 80% of children born with dwarfism have average-height parents with no history in the family (it is so annoying that my 6-year-old brother is now taller than me!).

Dwarfism isn’t a disease (and you can’t catch it) but is caused by a modified gene before birth and can happen to anyone, including animals. We also use words like ‘average’ instead of normal. The rest of my family are of ‘average height’ not normal height, because really, what’s considered normal these days?

I struggle to play organised team sports on weekends, as everyone else are literally giraffes to me and the idea of competing against athletes my own height would be amazing, as it would be an even playing field. This only ever happens every 4 years at the World Dwarf Games. Imagine saying that to other kids - sorry children, no teams sports for another 4 years.

I have been selected to compete in the Australian team for the 2023 World Dwarf Games in Cologne, Germany at the end of July along with 5 other junior athletes. Because it’s at a world level, which is a great privilege, it is much more expensive than just your regular Saturday sport. I am so excited and privileged to be able to compete and wear the green and gold uniform. The events I will be competing in include swimming, athletics, basketball and soccer. This is the first time Australia has sent a junior team and we are seeking support to raise much-needed funds to help us get to Germany as well as training costs, insurances, uniforms etc.

Hopefully, I can count on your support to help us get to Germany, to compete for Australia.