In April 2014, my niece Hannah and her husband Sully welcomed a beautiful baby boy into the world. They soon learned that Jude was diagnosed with Rhizomelic Chondrodysplasia Punctata (RCDP), a rare and lethal form of skeletal dysplasia (dwarfism). They were told he wouldn’t make it far through infancy.

Jude had chronic pain due to a cartilage deficiency, his hips and shoulders were out of place. They said that with this condition, there are usually heart defects, neurological damage, and kidney problems. However, Jude’s heart, neurological and kidney scans all came back great. He’s had many surgeries, including cataracts removed from both eyes, but now, at seven years old, Jude has beat the odds and done the opposite of what the doctors thought he could ever do. Just look at that face! Is he beautiful or what?

Pictures of Jude warm my heart. But he has a long road ahead, with expensive medicine and more surgeries in the future. If you’d like to follow Hannah’s blog, go to http://hannahkatelynpeters.wordpress.com. If you’re able to help with Jude’s expenses, visit http://www.gofundme.com/73q23g.

If you purchase my fourth novel, Sticks & Stones in any format, 100 percent of the profits will go to Jude.

Thank you,
Malcolm Ivey