Five-year-old Quaden Bayles was diagnosed with achondroplasia - the most common form of dwarfism - at just three days old and has suffered years of torment at the hands of cruel bullies and online trolls.
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| Quaden Bayles and his shih-tzu, Buddy, who has helped him come to terms with his dwarfism |
After being called a 'freak' little Quaden, from Brisbane, Australia, hated his disability so much, he banned his family from even using the word dwarfism.
The average five-year-old is around 3'3' but Quaden is almost a foot shorter at just under two-feet-five-inches tall.
But his mother Yarraka Bayles, 34 - an advocate for dwarfism awareness - was determined to help her son accept who he was and adopted a nine-year-old Shih Tzu with achondroplasia to help him realise he wasn't alone.
Friendship has blossomed between the pair, with Buddy helping Quaden finally come to terms with his condition and making him proud to be different.
It was by pure chance that Buddy met Quaden after a vet friend contacted Yarraka to say she had a dog she was caring for on behalf of Animal Rescue Qld (ARQ) that her son had to meet.
Yarraka said: 'I couldn't believe it when she said she had a rescue dog that had achondroplasia. I had no idea the condition affects animals too.
'As soon as Quaden saw Buddy, the bond was instant.
'Quaden just adores his new pal and they do everything together. Buddy comes up to Quaden's waist and is the perfect companion.
'Quaden is so proud of Buddy and the fact he has dwarfism too. We went to the park the other day and he was telling everyone they were both dwarves. It was lovely to see.
'I feel like Buddy's arrival has really helped Quaden realise that he's not alone.'
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| Because Quaden has always looked different to other kids his age, it has made him an easy target for bullies. Here, he is pictured covered in ceremonial Aboriginal body paint |
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| Buddy met Quaden after a vet friend contacted Quaden's mother to say she had a dog her son had to meet |
With Quaden being the only person in his community living with dwarfism, Yarraka became determined to help raise awareness of the condition that affects 1 in every 30,000 children born in world.
She has now set up a support group for families with children who have dwarfism called Stand Tall 4 Dwarfism.
Yarraka said: 'Quaden has always looked different to other kids his age, which has made him an easy target for bullies.
'When I brought him home from the hospital, I didn't know much about his condition. But as he's grown up, I've seen first-hand how people respond to his appearance.
'Strangers in the street stop and stare at him and he's been called 'ugly', a 'freak' and a 'midget' by others. It's heartbreaking.
'All I've ever wanted for Quaden was for him to be happy and healthy. But by putting ourselves out there, it also gave bullies an opportunity to put him down.
'I've been able to shield him from most of it, but I can't stop people gawking at him in the streets or pointing and laughing.
'As soon as Quaden realised he was different from everyone else, I tried really hard to make him see it as a positive.
'I'd tell him 'It's good to stand out in a crowd. You're really cool' but nothing I said helped boost his confidence. The jibes really got him down.'
Things got particularly bad when Quaden startedschool this year and was around young kids who regularly pointed out his physical differences.
Yarraka said: 'I know the kids are too young to realise that their words are hurtful, but it really affected Quaden.
'He started shouting 'What are you looking at' to people he caught glaring at him. He's very vocal about his how much he hates being made to feel different.
'One day he banned me and his elder sisters, Guyala and Yilan, 16, from using the word dwarf. He absolutely hated it.
'I knew then that I needed to do something to help him accept his condition otherwise he'd grow up with all sorts of issues.'
Just like his pint-sized owner, Buddy has health issues too and the family have to give him medication every day for arthritis - a common complaint with achondroplasia suffers - to help him with the pain.
Yarraka said: 'Quaden is so attentive to Buddy. He knows what it must feel like as they both suffer with the same side-effects of being born with shorter limbs.
'Buddy has been a blessing for Quaden. They really are in this journey together and I hope their story helps other people realise it's cool to be small.'
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