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Doctor's size a 'nonissue'
Rob Brown / Associated Press
Michael Ain, who is now in his sixth year as an attending surgeon, decided against bone lengthening.
By Paul Payne / Associated Press BALTIMORE -- Michael Ain's medical practice rests on a scalpel's edge and the four legs of his chrome-plated footstool. The Johns Hopkins Hospital orthopedic surgeon wields his blade often -- performing 300 operations a year. Each time, the 4-foot-3 doctor climbs his trusty stool, putting him at eye-level with shattered limbs and broken hips. Ain, who has achondroplasia, says he's never let size stunt his ambition -- although that hasn't always been easy. He was denied entrance to some medical schools that said he couldn't handle the physical demands of the job and couldn't win respect from patients and colleagues. Now in his sixth year as an attending surgeon in one of the foremost pediatric wards in the country, Ain has a reputation that has little to do with his stature. "Being little is a nonissue," the goateed surgeon said. "When I'm at work, I don't use any special equipment, don't have any special treatment. I get on the stool and go." Strolling the pediatric ward early one morning, Ain greets patients and family members with handshakes and assurances. "When I first met him, I thought, 'I don't see how that's going to work,' " said Terry Coles, whose 19-year-old daughter was undergoing an operation. "But I was quite satisfied. He's really very good." Ain grew up in New York, where his father was a judge. When he was 12, his parents took him to Canada, where a doctor was lengthening limbs. After considering it a few days, he decided against it and says he's glad he did. "I was not the most mature 12-year-old," Ain said. "Looking back, I'm pleasantly surprised I did not choose to have it done." He is married to Valerie, who is 5-foot-6. The couple has two daughters, Alexa, 4, who has achondroplasia, and Kayla, a 9-month-old who does not.
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