Trasel, left, 34, walks through the village of Boronggang, Tibet. Severly afflicted with Kashen-Beck disease, she stands barely three feet tall.

Gyampa, 61, has suffered since childhood from Kashen-Beck disease, which badly deformed his arm. Too weak to farm, he works as a tailor.

Stunted by Illness, Tibetan Villagers Ponder Flight
Published September 29, 2003. Miranda Mimi Kuo for the New York Times
© Miranda Mimi Kuo, All Rights Reserved