Hi! I’m Chandler.
I started my website as a way to further connect with you, my friends*, on a more personal level and to develop my brand.
If I write about something it means I’m passionate about it. You will quickly realize that I am a lover of puns.
I was born in Little Rock, Arkansas and am still living here today. Though I like to claim that I grew up in Baltimore, Maryland – technicalities and whatnot. I am the youngest of three and credit my siblings (Brooks and Courtney) for my thick skin, quick wit, and perfected eye-roll.
You can typically find me reading up on the latest research in modern medicine, scrolling through Instagram and Twitter (follow me!!) and taking every single BuzzFeed quiz there is. I usually start my day with an iced almond milk latte #basic, later a diet Dr. Pepper and end my evening with a chilled glass of rosé. I am an avid movie-goer / Netflix binger (I have seen every episode of the Office and SVU more than 11 times) and reality tv show connoisseur – RHONY is the best. I could eat my weight in chips and salsa and spend all day snacking on dark chocolate covered espresso beans.
I love living in Little Rock but it’s time for a bigger city. When will that happen? I don’t know. You’ll just have to keep following along 😉
*no, I was not named after Chandler Bing
Just a little more about me ~
I have been sharing the blood, sweat, tears, and laughter of my life on the internet since 2010 through my Facebook page. The world has watched me grow up – literally!!
I was born with the most common form of dwarfism, achondroplasia. In Summer 2010 I had orthopedic surgery to correct my lower limb deformities (bowed legs) that are very common with achondroplasia. I straightened and lengthened my legs. It was months of twists and turns –- literally!! + a little blood, sweat, and tears.
I have been very open with my experience since the beginning. Limb lengthening is a taboo topic in the dwarfism community and at the time of my first surgery in 2010, information on the procedure was outdated and no one with dwarfism had shared their experience since the 90s.
In addition to my first surgery, I went on to have two more lengthening procedures. I lengthened my arms (humerus) and legs again –- with a new modern, and less invasive method of limb lengthening where a telescoping rod is inserted into the bone.
My Facebook page, Chandler In Baltimore was created to keep friends and family updated on my process and was made public for anyone to see and learn about my experience.
My passion for social media, writing, and medicine came after documenting my experience with orthopedic surgery on my Facebook page. In summer 2015, I began working for GrowingStronger.org as their social media influencer by promoting their platform on various social media outlets. This included recruiting world-renowned medical professionals specialized in skeletal dysplasia for our web series, LP Doc Talk. I also hosted a workshop on social media at the 2017 Little People of America National Conference in Denver, Colorado.
In 2016 I was invited to the Rubin Institute for Advanced Orthopedic‘s annual medical mission trip to CURE Hospital in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. I documented the team’s mission work on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. I also took photos for the medical staff’s professional use and interacted with patients before and after their procedures.
My background in public speaking includes middle school and high school classrooms, Little People of America National Conferences, nonprofit fundraisers, the Food and Drug Administration and multiple news media outlets. I have been featured on Little Rock’s local ABC news station KATV, The Baltimore Sun, and NBC San Diego.
For over two years I have served as the District 7 Director for Little People of America. I oversee chapter involvement of Arkansas, Missouri, Kansas, and Oklahoma. Prior to being district director, I served as the Vice President of the Arkansas Chapter.