This girl was born with an extremely rare genetic condition that prevents her from gaining weight, which, in turn, affects her appearance. At the age of 16, she was labeled “the ugliest woman in the world.” Now, at 31, take a look at how she looks after all these years.
Lizzie Velasquez was born on March 13, 1989, in Austin, Texas. She weighed only 2.6 pounds at birth. From the moment she was born, it was clear that she looked different from other babies in the hospital. Because she was so small, Lizzie didn’t realize she was different; she was simply Lizzie. But when she started kindergarten at five years old, she immediately understood that something was not right.
Lizzie was born with two rare conditions—Marfan syndrome and lipodystrophy. These rare genetic disorders affect her heart, eyes, and bones, and prevent her from gaining weight due to issues with fat distribution in her body. This condition is so rare that there are only three known cases in the world. Additionally, the disease causes Lizzie to age faster than people without this syndrome, and she is also blind in one eye.
When Lizzie reached middle school, things got easier for her. She realized that she had control over her life, and her determination became evident. But one day, her world came crashing down.
While doing her homework one day, she sat at her computer and logged onto YouTube. Suddenly, she saw a video about herself that broke her heart. Someone had made a video calling her “the ugliest woman in the world.” Worse yet, the video had garnered millions of views, and some of the comments were truly horrific. She read the comments, hoping someone would defend her. Unfortunately, no one did.
This was the worst form of hate, and it could have destroyed Lizzie’s life. But she gathered her strength. The girl even said that if she could, she would send a thank-you card and flowers to the person who made the video because it forever changed her life.
Lizzie never allowed the haters to win. Now, at 31, she helps people with similar struggles overcome their difficulties.
