Darren's mother is from Cebu in the Philippines, and has Filipino, Chinese, and Spanish ancestry. Darren's father is from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and has English, and some German and Northern Irish, ancestry.
Description. While dwarfism is sometimes used to describe achondroplasia, a condition characterized by short stature and disproportionately short arms and legs, it is also used more broadly to refer to a variety of conditions resulting in unusually short stature in both children and adults.
How achondroplasia is inherited. In 1994, it was discovered that a mutation of the gene found on chromosome 4 causes achondroplasia. It is known as the fibroblast growth factor receptor-3 (FGFR3). The way in which mutations in FGFR3 cause achondroplasia are currently being researched.