Nathalie Kerr and her son James today
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Nathalie Kerr first noticed something was not right about her son James? growth when he and his twin sister were about nine months old. ?There was a huge difference in size between Isabel and James,? says the Mississauga, Ontario mom. ?He was not growing.? 
Her pediatrician initially told her not to worry, pointing out that both parents were not tall, with mom at five-foot-two and dad at five-foot-eight. But Nathalie persisted in her quest for answers. 
?My gut feeling said this was not normal,? said Nathalie, who is also an emergency room nurse. ?I started doing my own research.?
James was finally diagnosed with growth hormone deficiency (GHD) at about two-and-a-half after his mom pushed for him to be seen by an endocrinologist?a doctor who specializes in conditions related to the body?s hormones. Growth hormone plays an essential role in human development. Without it, kids do not grow. James had none, says his mom. He was immediately put on growth hormone therapy. 
There can be many different reasons why a child may not grow normally, but growth hormone deficiency is one of them. A rare condition affecting 1 in 30,000 children, it is caused when the pituitary gland, located in the brain, makes too little or no growth hormone. This can be something children are born with or can be found later in a child?s development. A child may be born with no pituitary gland, may have damage to the brain that impacts the pituitary ...