In the novel Freak the Mighty, by Rodman Philbrick, the
best friend of Max (the "Mighty") is Kevin ("Freak"). When Max first meets Kevin, he
realizes that there is something very different about him- he is very
small.
Max recalls being in day-care with Kevin much
earlier in their childhood. Kevin, he recalls, was the only child who scared him. Now,
Max is intrigued by Kevin and the mechanical bird that he is
flying.
When Max sees Kevin trying to get the bird out of
the tree he realizes that there is something wrong- Kevin is very small for his (their)
age. Max goes over to help.
After their friendship has
begun, Max comes to learn that Kevin is more than just small; Kevin's growth condition
will eventually take his life. Kevin, in order to accept his condition, has created a
fairy-tale for his life where the government is going to conduct an experimental
operation and give him a bionic body. Kevin never makes it to the
surgery.
Shortly after Christmas and saving Max from his
father's abduction, Kevin's condition takes his life. Kevin dies from his growth
condition. This is the conversation between Max and Kevin's doctor about his
death:
“What
happened to him really?” Dr. Spivak answers simply, “His heart just got too big for his
body.”
While the name of the
condition is never stated in the novel, the film version states that Kevin has Morquio's
Syndrome.
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