Meet the real life Tom Thumb – a five-year-old lad who stands just 2ft 11in and is so little he is dwarfed by his toddler sister.
Little Ryan Cahill is the only person in the world with a combination of two medical conditions which make him super small.
His proud mum Corrie, 28, had to buy his school uniform from specialists in America and he is dwarfed by his sisters Lisa-Marie, three, and Lacey, two.
And the little lad is so little he can fit into boxer shorts which were bought for his Build-a-Bear teddy.
But what he lacks in stature his family say he makes up for with his big personality, because Ryan loves nothing more than making friends with strangers and giving hugs.
Mum Corrie, from Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, said: “Ryan weighed four pound eleven ounces when he was born, he was smaller than a premature baby, we had to buy dolly clothes because premature ones were too big.
“He got his clothes wet recently and we dug out a six to nine pair of dungarees that fit perfectly, we didn’t tell him they were six to nine months.
“We pay £56 for school trousers from America and have to roll up and stitch his jumpers, every bit of clothing has to be altered.
“When he first started potty training we bought him Build-a-bear teddy boxers which he still wears today.
“If he’s got a point to prove he will prove it, his whole personality is bigger than him, it shines through.
“Like most children he can have a bad attitude, he’ll stomp upstairs, slam the door and scream the house down.”
Little Ryan is a real miracle after Corrie was told she’d never have children again following the tragic death of her twins Phoebe and Jaden in 2007.
Phoebe was stillborn and Jaden passed of cot death aged 12 weeks.
And when doctors spotted Ryan had stopped growing in the womb at 20 weeks, she was advised to have an abortion.
But Corrie said: “I told them I wasn’t getting rid of my miracle baby.”
Doctors were left baffled by Ryan’s condition until last June when he was diagnosed with genetic disorder Bloom’s syndrome combined with another mystery condition.
Bloom’s syndrome is an inherited disorder that causes short stature, a rash that develops after expose to the sun, infertility in males and an increased risk of cancer.
He also doesn’t produce a growth hormone so needs to have injections given to him by his step-dad Barry, who he calls ‘daddy’.
He also has to wear glasses, struggles with his hearing, he can’t be in direct sunlight and has to wear sunglasses, hats and full factor sun cream all year round.
His small stature means he can be picked up by little sisters Lisa-Marie, three, and Lacey, two – much to his frustration – as well as step-sister Jade, 11.
Corrie said:
“Ryan gets upset because all his sisters can pick him up, Lacey can lift him up and throw him over her shoulder.
“He has trouble reaching things and he can’t play for as long as the girls because he gets tired.
“I never knew children grew so quick until I had my daughters, it’s exciting to watch two different sides of it.
“Jade loves him to bits and the younger girls are best friends with Ryan.”
But the bubbly boy loves nothing more than working in his dad Barry’s shop – where he wears a specially made uniform.
“He greets and serves every customer and always persuades them to buy something,” said Corrie.
“He is very cuddly and will have a hug with everybody.”
The clever lad is in his second year at Walliscote Primary School in Weston-super-Mare, where teachers have made sure he has all he needs to keep up with his mates.
He has a higher chair to reach his desk, and uses a special buggy for school trips to save his legs.
According to his family, many people with Bloom’s syndrome don’t live into their 30 due to an increased risk of developing cancer.
But Corrie and Barry, who also lost a two-week-old son due to a large obstruction in his kidney, are determined to be brave for their little lad.
Corrie said: “He has a lot of questions and I don’t have the answers.
“The main question Ryan asks is ‘am I going to die Mummy?’
“What do you turn around and say to a five-year-old?
“Losing Ryan will be like losing the world. I don’t know how the girls will cope.
“I have to be brave, inside I’m screaming.
“He’s an inspiration, if he can just carry on then so can I.
“He’s played a big, big part in all our lives. He’s our little special angel.
“He’s just a happy-go-lucky boy. He’s everything anybody could want in a child, I just wish I could take all his problems away.
“There are no others like Ryan, he is unique, the only one in the world like him.
“We tell him he’s a little bit more different – he’s more special – which he likes.”
