12-year-old dwarfs go for life's gusto

PITTSBURGH -- The fuss started March 13 at the airport, as the family prepared to board a flight from Pittsburgh to Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Aren't you the kids we saw on the "Today" show?

It would continue during the brothers' weeklong spring break aboard a cruise ship in the Caribbean.

But Max and Will Graf handled it well, considering they're just 12-year-old sixth-graders.

Born with achondroplasia, a form of dwarfism, the boys -- who stand just 43 inches tall -- are accustomed to people staring and pointing. But people asking for autographs or to pose with them for pictures?

Their story has drawn attention from national media since the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette began chronicling their experiences at middle school last fall. In 1998, John and Suzanne Graf of Ben Avon, Pa., adopted Max from Korea, who was about the same age and had the same condition as their son, Will, and the duo has been well-known in the community since then.

But the national celebrity is something new. On their recent cruise, both boys handled the limelight in different ways.

"Will would just kind of keep his head on his shoulder and smile," recalled their grandmother Mary Ann Graf, who also was on the cruise. Max, on the other hand, was a bit more comfortable with the attention.

Fifteen minutes of fame doesn't always translate into maturity. But for Max and Will it has, especially at their school, where they're just regular kids. One indication of how they've blossomed over the past year is their leadership roles. Last week, both were chosen by their counselor to be on the orientation panel for students entering middle school in the fall. Will also was elected as student council vice president on Friday.

"They do everything. Nothing holds them back," said social studies teacher Diane Neuhaus. "It's so cool."

While incoming fifth-graders asked questions about homework and the lack of recess, the twins recalled issues that had worried them when they began middle school. One of Max's biggest issues when school started was something his average-sized classmates couldn't even contemplate: Would he get trampled on in the halls?

"But nothing ever happened," he acknowledged last week.

Even when his right foot, which drags slightly when he walks, got tangled up with his left and he fell, Max added, "Three other kids would be there to help me up."

Both boys have excelled in their studies and are enjoying the freedom the sixth grade brought. Despite their small stature and somewhat limited physical abilities, both boys attended dances, field trips and sporting events like any other kid.

At the middle school "Olympics" May 23, for instance, both participated in the shot put competition even though their disproportionately short arms put them at a distinct disadvantage: Will's longest throw was 16 feet while Max could only manage 13 feet. (Classmate Chris Dick won the contest with a throw of 49 feet.)

"I didn't even know what it was," Max said of the event, laughing. "I thought it was like, putting."As in a golf ball.

Will has better luck playing Little League baseball, where according to his father, John, he gets a bat on the ball almost every game. He's equally accomplished on the guitar. At a school talent show, his fingers flew across the frets of his electric guitar in the opening riff from AC-DC's "Thunderstruck."

"It would be so easy to coddle them or be overprotective," said their maternal grandmother, Judy Kardell. "But John and Suzanne let them do whatever they think they can do."

Gretchen McKay can be reached at gmckay(at)post-gazette.com.

(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)