KMBC 9: Children struggling to grow find help at Children's Mercy

By William Joy

When he was 3 years old, Jack Prestridge and his 1-year-old brother were often mistaken for twins.

"He was looked at a lot like a baby,” his mother, Alicia Prestridge, said. "His classmates would pick him up and carry him around like a baby."

Alicia and her husband noticed that he was their only child not outgrowing their shoes.

But every test said things were normal.

They didn’t have an answer until they met Dr. Kavitha Dileepan at Children’s Mercy Hospital.

“Our job is to kind of recognize what’s a normal pattern of growth,” Dileepan said. "He has clear growth hormone deficiency.”

When children aren't growing like they should, they often end up at Children's Mercy.

Jack wants to be a basketball player, but he couldn't even reach a sink.

"It makes me tear up a little bit to remember how little he was, to remember the struggles at the time,” Alicia said.

For Jack, the answer was growth hormone shots that he takes each night.

“We just tell him that’s how his body grows,” Prestridge said. “He needs a little extra help and the shots do that for him.”

Five years later, he's no longer the baby.

"I'm tallest in my class,” Jack said.

Life and basketball are better now.

Read the full story via KMBC 9

Learn more from Children's Mercy about understanding short stature.