Nathan Hrdlicka is one of 25 people in the world with bilateral PFFD, a condition that caused him to be born without thighs. Nathan’s knee bones are directly connected to his hip bones.
Of the 25 people with the rare condition, Nathan appears to be the only one who can walk. Despite the unique hurdles, he has lived a full life.
He is in a loving relationship with his girlfriend, Chelsee Stuart. Chelsee is about a foot taller than Nathan. Ironically, doctors said that Nathan would have grown to be 6’4 if he’d had his thighs.
“When we first met, I did think the height difference was going to be a sort of problem because this was my first time really being with someone that shorter than me,” Chelsea said. “It took us a lot of time to really learn what works and what doesn’t work, but eventually now everything works.”
Nathan finds that Chelsee is emotionally supportive.
“Chelsee supports me emotionally as a friend in a way that I never had in my life,” she said. “When I am sick she is there making sure there is everything she can do to make me feel better, whether it is just to put a smile on my face or a glass of cold water.”
People often judge Nathan’s height and his relationship with Chelsee, who is much taller.
“I just really want to be able to help people. I want to be able to use my experiences and story to help people get through the hard times that they are having so that they can heal,” he said.
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