The Discovery Channel
 

Miracle Man: John of God

No Arms Needed

Unmasked: Treacher Collins Syndrome

Joined for Life

The Bald Truth

Joined at Birth

Immortality on Ice

Hospital (Series)

 
 

Surviving Sextuplets and Twins

14 Children and Pregnant Again!

Raising 16 Children

On the Road with 16 Children

Dwarf Family: Meet the Fooses

We Lost 800 Pounds: Robin and Jackie

627 Pound Surgery: Jackie's Story

Super Obese

House of Twins

Miracle Steps

Transgender Teens

Unlocking the Jaw

Clark Howard: Dollars and Sense

Ultimate Body Challenge
Forrest's Story
Nicole's Story
Pat and Allison's Story
Courtney's Story


Continuing Medical Education (Series)

21st Century Medicine (Series)

The Operation (Series)

 
 

Sexchange

Saving Life and Limb

Saving Life and Limb (ep 2)

Spinal Impact

The Mysteries of Cold Water Survival

 
  Breed All About It (Series)

Animal Operation (Series)
 
  Conjoined at the Head  
  Max's Magical Delivery: Fit for Kids

So You Are Thinking of Caring for a Child with Special Needs

Call Me If You Need Me

A Week in the Life of the DUMC Neonatal

Preparing for Spinal Surgery: For Teenagers with Severe Scoliosis

Arthroscopic Knee Surgery

Exercise Tolerance and Cardiolite Imaging: A Patient Orientation

The Hole in Sheldon's Chart

Caring for Your Central Line
 
 
Dwarf Family: Meet the Fooses
The story of hope, faith, the unexplainable and the unbelievable

Synopsis:
The Foos family is not a family you will easily forget, and it has nothing to do with their unusual last name. Joe, age 38 and Ginny, age 39 have been married for 15 years and are the proud parents of three outstanding children. They are, in almost every way, the typical American family... Read Full Synopsis...

Have something to say? Visit this show's discussion page here.
 
 
Dwarf Family: Meet the Fooses (2005)
Produced & Directed By: Jen Stocks
Edited By: Josh Steadman
Full Credit List

 
 


"There are lots of different types of people in the world. We just happen to be different."

--Joe Foos


The Foos family is not a family you will easily forget, and it has nothing to do with their unusual last name. Joe, age 38 and Ginny, age 39 have been married for 15 years and are the proud parents of three outstanding children. They are, in almost every way, the typical American family; the majority of their time is spent juggling work, school, little league, household chores and homework assignments. But the one small detail that makes the Fooses stand out in the crowd is that the Foos are a family of dwarfs, or Little People, as they prefer to be called. And although their short stature is probably the first thing you’d notice about them, it’s certainly not the most important thing to remember about them.

As this remarkable family of Little People allows us into their intriguing world, we will see that there is much more to know about them than their creative techniques for functioning in an average sized world, and that while they are, indeed, smaller than most of us, there is nothing small about their ambition, creativity, and ability. If you disregard their physical size, you will instantly see that they are just like everyone else.

Just as many couples are challenged by health concerns when starting a family, Joe and Ginny knew they were up against some significant odds. Since they are both dwarfs, the chances that they would have a dwarf child were 50%, and that was ok. But the chances that they would pass on a “double dose” of the dwarf gene were 25% and that was not ok, because a “double dose” almost always proves to be fatal for the infant. For several terrifying days in the hospital, Ginny and Joe feared this was the case for their first son, Alex. Now, at age 13, Alex has made it through several surgeries to repair his respiratory system and is very much a typical 13 yr old boy. Their daughter Dasha, who they adopted from Russia, gave Joe and Ginny some additional concerns. Learning disabled and mildly autistic, Dasha, age 14, made this already complicated family considerably more complicated. Completing the Foos family unit is Ben, age 7, who, to the great relief of his parents, was born without health concerns.

As we follow the Foos family, we’ll see that their routines and to-do lists are very much like every other upper middle class, over-scheduled family’s, except that Ginny’s exceptional organization skills keep this group in astonishing order. A part-time school teacher, Ginny’s day begins early as she helps get Joe, a computer sales rep, and the three kids fed and out the door. Both Alex and Dasha attend the same Middle School where Ginny often teaches, but Dasha sees a special education teacher who has a detailed plan for developing her language and social skills. The children have average sized friends, participate in average sized activities, and are quite comfortable finding their place in an average sized world.

Extremely active in the San Francisco Little People community, both Joe and Ginny do all they can to educate anyone and everyone on what it means to be a Little Person. At heights of 4’2” and 3’9”, Joe and Ginny have devoted their lives to destroying the myths and misconceptions about their small stature, and often must deal with some rather “small-minded” people. While Ginny says that “it would be nice not to have to educate people every single day” on why she’s short, how she reaches things, where she buys her clothes, she realizes the importance of answering these questions. What they want everyone to know most of all, is that they are just like everyone else.

The Foos Family, will not only be a Day in the Life of this family of Little People, it will introduce viewers to a family that faces challenges head-on, challenges that any average-sized family would find difficult to manage. We’ll witness their daily struggle to fit into a world that isn’t built to fit them, and their amazing resolve to make their lives as normal as possible. Whatever preconceived notions that exist about dwarfs will be quickly forgotten upon meeting the Foos. Because in the case of the Foos, it’s not their first impression they’re concerned with, it’s their lasting impression.

 
 

AMP Recommendation

Visit the Foos family at their very own blog: www.dwarffamily.com

 
 

Dwarf Family: Meet the Fooses
Cast and Credits

Click to show full credit list

 

 

 



  Home | What's On | Online Store | About Us | Forum

 
307 W. Weaver St.
Carrboro, NC 27510
©2006 Figure 8 Films   
Terms of Use | Privacy Policy
voice: (919) 933-3553
fax: (919) 933-3613