This is taken from the TLC website:
"Meet Matt Roloff
Matt Roloff is a salesman, entrepreneur, advocate for the rights of little people and father of four. A dreamer at heart, Matt is a consummate businessman who thrives on making his next deal.
For years, Matt was a huge success in the computer industry, selling systems software to Fortune 500 companies. In 1999, Matt wrote and publishedAgainst Tall Odds, which chronicles his business and professional success in the face of enormous medical and social adversity. Matt used the proceeds from his work to create his dream home, a 34-acre farm outside Portland, Ore., called Roloff Farms.
As a child, Matts dwarfism often left him in the hospital, recuperating from painful surgeries on his legs. Missing out on the experiences of average children, Matt lay in his hospital bed, daydreaming of cowboys and Tom Sawyer. Now those dreams have become reality on Roloff Farms, which boasts a complete Western town, a pirate ship on a lake, a three-story tree house and a full-size medieval castle, to name a few.
Matt has established his own business, Direct Access Solutions, which focuses on mobility and accessibility products for little people. The key product is the Short Stature Accessibility Kit, a product marketed to hotel chains that provides the tools little people need for a safe hotel room stay. In the last year, Matt also accepted a job within the software sales industry that often has him traveling for business. The majority of his work is in North America.
The former president of Little People of America (LPA) a social and advocacy group for little people Matt remains active in the organization and recently attended the annual conference with his whole family in Milwaukee, Wis. Along with Amy, he is working to manage the LPAs 50th anniversary national conference in 2007, in Seattle, Wash. Matts dwarfism is the result of the third most common cause of short stature, diastrophic dysplasia (one per 110,000 births), a condition that negatively affects bone and joint structure and leads to broad, short fingers. He walks with the aid of crutches and often gets around with a motorized
scooter.
Matts parents, Ron and Peggy Roloff, reside only a few miles from the farm. They are average height, along with his sister Ruth, who lives in California. Matt has one little person brother, Sam. Matt has been married to Amy for 19 years."
Also, Jacob(the youngest) was seriously hurt last week. Here is an article:
"Little People, Big World's Jacob Roloff injured after being "struck several times by a 2,000 pound block of concrete"
One of the cast members of TLCs Little People, Big World was injured along with a family friend when he was struck several times by a 2,000 pound block of concrete, according to TLC.
Jacob Roloffs father, Matt, released a statement describing what happened to his son and an older family friend:
While Jacob and Mike were readying to launch a pumpkin, the winch that cocks the trebuchet (a catapult-like device) prematurely triggered. Both Jacob and Mike were then struck several times by a 2,000 pound block of concrete that acts as a counterweight and powers the motion of the trebuchet.
They were both rushed to the hospitals trauma unit. After arriving at the hospital, it was determined, based on CT scans, that Jacob had a dime size dent in his head and doctors then performed a procedure to relieve swelling and avoid any seizure or infection. Jacobs surgery went VERY well and hes expected to make a full recovery.
According to TLC, cameras were taping footage for the series at an alternate location when the incident occurred. The incident was not part of production of the series. Matts letter indicates that he was being interviewed in front of the cameras inside the house, away from where this took place.
A TLC spokesperson tells reality blurred that within hours of his surgery, [Jacob] was up and about and is expected to check out of the hospital tonight.
I get so distracted by all the clutter around their house. I thought it was funny how uptight Amy got about the lady who came to help her organize, but then afterwards she was grateful.
