"Society Sees Me As Defective" Author Kristen DeAndrade On Limb Lengthening

Limb lengthening is a relatively misunderstood medical procedure. However, Kristen DeAndrade knew it’s what she wanted for herself at a very young age. At 12 years old she went through with the first lengthening operation which led to her having two external fixators attached to her lower legs. Her tibias were broken in two places and she used the medical ‘bird cages’ to tease the bone into growing longer by stretching the gaps daily. This operation is not only involved, it takes a lot of time and effort to come out of it with the desired result. Even though Kristen gained 10 inches in length, she still received ridicule and offensive comments about her appearance and even for her decision to lengthen her limbs. Someone even wrote ‘Midgets Suck’ in a very visible and public place in her community. Kristen wrote a memoir to highlight her experience called Little Legs Big Heart.

 

Thanks to John Lee Dumas for suggesting my subtitle!