“Every day, I made silly faces, weird sounds, and looked like a crazy mom, all in the hope he’d smile. Everyone told me not to worry, but my intuition was telling me something else.”
‘I was in shock. My sweet little boy was never going to smile.’: Mom births son with Moebius Syndrome
‘When it was my turn to play dress-up, they paused. ‘Oh, Liz, there aren’t any princesses left.’ My confidence was shattered.’: Woman with GoldenHar Syndrome advocates for facial equality
“The blonde girl was Cinderella, the brunette was Belle. ‘Liz, you can be the mother.’ There was no princess that resembled what I looked like, no role for me to play.”
‘In front of the entire train, he pointed at me and shouted, ‘Look at that freak!’ I broke down into floods of tears.’: Man with cystic hygroma shares self-love journey
“‘You don’t look like the other boys. You look different.’ I was sick of giving power to strangers. It was time to take back control.”
‘The world may not be built for disabled people, but we’re aiming to change that.’: Woman shares journey as disabled business owner
“I don’t know any other disabled business owners. I hope making the world more accessible will afford others the opportunities I never had.”
‘Some days are harder than others.’ I get eyes darting at me as I’m walking down the street. It isn’t easy.’: Man with facial differences becomes motivational speaker, ‘It was worth all the pain’
“My parents were told, ‘Only major reconstructive surgery will correct the anomalies.’ Because I spent most of my childhood in hospitals, I was playing catch up. My lack of confidence took its toll on me.”
‘Hey look, it’s Two-Face!’ I’d come to school with purple burn dots. I felt like I was going through the pain for others.’: Woman with Sturge Weber Syndrome becomes advocate, ‘We aren’t scary monsters or villains’
“I was held down, screaming for them to stop. With each snap, a dot was burned onto the skin to break up the blood vessels of the birthmark. It was then I walked away from the world of wanting to look like everyone else.”
‘I told myself, ‘It won’t last forever.’ I was self-conscious about my looks. It was holding me back.’: Woman with Treacher Collins Syndrome says ‘I choose to feel nothing but empowered’
“I decided, ‘I’m going to shave my head.’ I used my long hair as a shield, but once I didn’t have it anymore, I was forced to be seen. All of my differences were out in the open. I had no choice but to embrace what made me different.”
‘I’m not model material.’ I was skeptical. I’ve NEVER seen a supermodel that looks like me.’: Woman with facial abnormality walks in fashion show, ‘Representation matters’
“Not a single girl looked like anyone else. There were girls of all shapes, sizes, races, and abilities. I threw my shoulders back and walked the runway with my head held high.”
‘I can’t understand you!’ I wrote it down on my hand. He started speaking slowly, as if I was less intelligent.’: Woman with facial anomaly hopes to ‘normalize all bodies’
“It’s exhausting trying to pump gas or sit in my kids’ karate class and be stared at constantly. When people see my face, they assume my intelligence.”
‘I overheard nurses murmuring about a ‘bruise.’ Then I heard, ‘I don’t think that will fade.’ The left side of her face was a deep red.’: Mom vows to raise baby with Port Wine Stain as ‘the most confident girl to ever walk the planet’
“We weren’t trying to get pregnant. They lifted me off the toilet after I nearly passed out. My vision dotted with stars, I remember saying, ‘I don’t care if it’s permanent. I love her just the way she is.’ Everywhere we go, strangers ask, ‘WHAT happened?’ We can’t go to the store without getting stared at.”
