We all look forward to the significant occasion of high school graduation. It will be a special time in our lives that we want to spend with the people we care about the most.
The young woman named Britt characterized her graduation day as a roller coaster of emotions. Although she was quite proud of herself for having completed high school, she was worried that her stepfather and mother might not be there. In between the excitement and lights of the cameras, she looked around the throng, expecting to find familiar faces.
She kept glancing around as she sat among her peers. “It seems like they’re running late,” she told herself. “Perhaps caught in traffic. They are going to arrive shortly.
Britt looked around while names were announced, and then it was finally her turn to come up to the stage. She grinned widely, holding onto her certificate and hoping to see her stepdad’s applause and her mother’s delighted grin. However, they could not be located.
As she strolled around, she thought, “They must be here somewhere.” At last, Britt checked her phone, understanding they were probably not arriving and weren’t there. A note said, “We’re sorry we couldn’t make it. A situation involving your stepsister arose. Later, we’ll rejoice. Congratulations!
Britt could not believe it. More importantly than her graduation, what might it be? She was furious and anxious, and all she wanted was to go home and find out what had happened.
Her step-sister Iris was well-known for her frequent outbursts and fervent desire for attention, but what could be so serious at this point?
Britt felt a reassuring hand rest on her shoulder as she stood by herself. It was her prom date, Justin. He inquired, “Hey, are you okay?” feeling there was a serious problem.
A lump formed in Britt’s throat, preventing her from speaking. Words did not flow from her lips; tears did.
Britt was pulled into a cozy hug by Justin’s mother, who whispered, “Oh sweetheart, come here.” “We are here for you; you are not alone.”
In an attempt to bridge the gap left by Britt’s parents, Justin and his family tried everything in their power to make her feel valued and included.
Britt went back home after celebrating with Justin’s folks. Her mother and father-in-law were comfortably reclining on the sofa, enjoying television as though it were any ordinary day.
Britt confronted them, enraged, saying, “Hey, where were you guys? You were not present for my graduation. Anger made her voice waver.
Her mother moaned, looking mortified, “Your stepsister broke a nail.” She had a massive fit and insisted that we take her right away to the beauty salon to get it fixed. Britt, she was quite upset.
Britt cried out in shock, “A broken nail? You didn’t attend my graduation because Iris had a tantrum and broke a nail?
“It was an emergency for me,” Iris mumbled, not raising her head.
Britt saw how misaligned her parents’ values were. Though she was aware that Iris was their favorite, this was too much. “Are you serious?” She said, “Do you even realize how much this meant to me?”
Her mother muttered, unable to meet her gaze, “Britt, we’re sorry.” I swear, we’ll celebrate later.
Britt gave it some thinking and concluded it would be better to spend some time away from the house. With a quivering voice, she contacted Justin’s mother, Mrs. Anderson, saying, “Good evening, Mrs. Anderson.” I’m in need of a favor, but how should I ask?
“Go ahead, Brittany. What’s that? Mrs. Anderson gave a kind response.
“Is it okay if I remain with you for a bit? I need to go because my family and I are at odds.
Mrs. Anderson said, “Of course, sweetheart,” without hesitation. Here, you’re always welcome.
After gathering her belongings, Britt went to the front entrance. “I’m going,” she declared. “I need to spend some time away from you and this house.”
It was too late when her mother attempted to stop her.
Britt eventually found an apartment after finding a job in the weeks that followed. Refusing to answer her parents’ calls, she desired no interaction with them.
About to graduate from college, years later, Britt made the decision to offer her parents one last opportunity at forgiveness. Feeling that they owed her this, she called and invited them to her graduation ceremony.
Regretfully, history was repeated. Her mother and stepfather failed to appear on the day she graduated from college. The justification? They became stopped in traffic as Iris, who was pregnant at the time, had a yearning for a cake from a far-off sweet shop. They sent a cheesy text message, just like before.
It was yet another setback from those who were supposed to be Britt’s strongest allies. Justin tracked her down after the ceremony. “They didn’t show up, did they?” he inquired tactfully. “They didn’t,” she whispered.
Since Justin had always supported her, they finally became romantically involved and moved in together. Though Britt was content with her life’s outcome, the pain of her parents’ absence persisted.
In retrospect, Britt discovered that some people will consistently let you down and squander your second chance.
The story of Lizzie Velásquez – this is her today in 2024
Every person faces their own struggles when it comes to their looks and/or self-esteem.
It might be that you want to lose weight, or maybe you want to fix your teeth? There’s always something that you’d probably like to improve.
Well, every time I feel like I need motivation, I’ll always think about Lizzie Velásquez from Austin, Texas.
Lizzie was born with an extremely rare genetic disorder that prevents her from gaining weight, which in turn affects her appearance.
Being tormented can break any person’s heart and mind, but Lizzie was confident that these people wouldn’t be the ones prevailing. Today, she’s turned her life around and she’s now a global motivational speaker.
Now, I want you, the person reading this, to take a moment to think back on your life at the age of 16. For me, there are plenty of memories from that time – both good and bad – but overall, it was a time when many things were changing. There were more hormones, emotions, and sometimes even mental challenges that you had to fight against.
Hate on the web
All in all, hopefully it was a good time in your life, as it was for me.
Now, pretend that at 16 years of age you were called “The Ugliest Woman/Man in the World”. Not only that, but there’s even a video of you with the text “The Ugliest Woman/Man in the World” attached to it. That video has hundreds of thousands of views, and in the comments, people are saying the worst possible things about you.
How would that make you feel?
For Lizzie Velásquez, this was the tragic reality. She was teased throughout her school years – both in person and on the internet – and it could’ve so easily broken her.
But Lizzie had other plans. She decided to put all these negative vibes together and instead turn them into something positive. That’s why we love her dearly, and want to spread her inspirational story.
I will share this with my friends, and I’d love for you to do the same.
Lizzie Velásquez
Lizzie Velásquez was born March 13, 1989, in Austin, Texas.
At her birth, she weighed only 2 pounds and 11 ounces, and it was clear from the moment she was born that she looked different from the other babies at the hospital.
Being that small, Lizzie didn’t understand that she was different, since she’d always been just Lizzie. However, when she started kindergarden at age five, she realized straight away that something was off.
“To my family, I was just Lizzie. It was a big slap of reality for a 5-year-old. The other kids were scared of me, pointing at me, not wanting to sit with me,” she told Today. “I couldn’t process it. I wasn’t doing anything to them, so why was it happening to me? And I didn’t dare tell anyone.
“Finally, I told my parents and they said, ‘There is nothing wrong with you, you are just smaller than the other kids. You are beautiful and smart and can accomplish anything.’”
Those words from her family still stick with her today, and it really is the truth. No matter how you look, you still have the ability to accomplish anything you want. For Lizzie, though, this would require strong mental toughness to get there. That, and the support from her parents.
Lizzie Velásquez – rare conditions
But we’ll get back to Lizzie and how she managed to come out strong and incredibly inspirational on the other side.
So what was it that made her look the way she does?
Well, Lizzie was born with two rare conditions, marfan syndrome and lipodystrophy. The rare genetic conditions affect her heart, eyes and bones, and prevent her from gaining weight because of a problem with the way fat is distributed in her body. It’s so rare, in fact, that there are only three known cases in the world. Still to this day, it baffles experts.
Not only that, but the condition causes Lizzie to age faster than people without the disorder, and she’s also blind in one eye.
As early as kindergarden, Lizzie recieved comments from other kids. And these remarks continued throughout her childhood, with people labeling her face as “disgusting”.
“At the time, I thought everyone looked like me. I didn’t recognize or tell that they didn’t look like me,” she told the Daily Mail.
When Lizzie started high school, things got better. She realized that she had power over her own life, and her decision was made clear.
Horrible video on YouTube
She was always going to stay positive, be brave, and do all the activities that she wanted to do alongside her friends.
“It was scary, but I knew it would pay off,” Lizzie Velásquez explained. “I was staff writer for the school newspaper and took photos for the yearbook. I tried out for cheerleading. The uniforms were really cute and every time I wore it around the school, I felt like a superhero. I was more myself around my peers, the version of myself around my family.”
Things started to get better, and Lizzie’s confidence was great. Then, one day, her world collapsed.
While doing homework, she was scrolling on her computer and went onto YouTube. Suddenly, she saw a video about herself that would break her heart.
Someone had made a video about Lizzie, dubbing her “the world’s ugliest woman”. Worse, the video had millions of views, and some of the comments were truly terrible.
She couldn’t stop herself from reading the comments, with some people even saying that the world would be a better place if Lizzie took her own life. She read on, hoping that someone would come to her aid. Sadly, not a single comment did.
“Wanted to prove them wrong”
Lizzie felt like someone “was putting a fist through the computer screen and physically punching me.” She could barely believe what she was seeing.
It’s crazy to think about how thousands of people can sit behind their computers and torment a 16-year-old girl suffering from a severe illness. How do those people sleep at night?
This was the worst kind of hate, and it could’ve destroyed Lizzie. But once again, she picked herself up. In fact, she said that if she could, she’d send a thank you card and flowers to the person who created the video, because that video changed her life forever.
“I didn’t want to retaliate — it was a waste of time,” she said. “I just wanted to prove them wrong, I realized I could use it for the greater good.”
Lizzie was never going to let the haters win. She’d seen the worst possible things written and said about her, but still, she was determined to use it as fuel for the future Lizzie.
She continued on to college, and at 23 she earned a Bachelors Degree in communication from Texas State University.
Inspirational TedTalk
In 2003, she was then invited to a TED Talk in Austin, and it went viral. Lizzie explained how hurtful the mocking had been, but at the same time, she wanted to give people another perspective, as she did for herself.
“For so long, I thought that what defined me was my outer appearance,” she said in the 2013 TED Talk, explaining that she used to fantasize about “scrubbing the syndrome” off her face.
“Something kind of clicked in my head,” she explained of the moment she saw that awful YouTube video. “Am I going to let the people who called me a monster define me? No, I’m going to let my goals and my success and my accomplishments be the things that define me.”
For most people, all this hatred would have been tough to endure. But Lizzie isn’t most people; she showed everyone how strong she really is. Over the course of her entire life, she has been forced to eat a high-calorie diet frequently to keep her body’s energy levels up.
Today, she’s 35 years old and a successful business woman who travels the world to lecture others on her illness, as well as her life story.
Lizzie Velásquez – today
“This is my purpose. This is what I’m meant to do for the rest of my life. I like to think that I’m not only telling my story, I’m telling everyone’s story,” Lizzie told the Daily Mail.
As of now, she has over 850,000 followers on her YouTube channel and uses it to give inspirational talks. Lizzie’s showed the haters that she’s stronger than them – and she’s much more successful today than they will ever be.
“You are beautiful and smart and can accomplish anything,” Lizzie said her mother and father used to tell her.
“They loved me in the face of so many unknowns.”
Even though Lizzie is a strong, inspirational and, well, incredible person, this year’s been tough for many reasons.
The Covid-19 pandemic hasn’t helped, but she’s also getting picked on social media, especially on the app TikTok. Lizzie was the subject of an image that people were looking at and reacting to.
And the worst part was that it was a mother that had used her photo to prank a child into thinking that Lizzie was the teacher for the next school year.
The importance of respecting
In July, it became a horrible trend among parents, where they did a FaceTime call saying that Lizzie would be the child’s next teacher.
Lizzie was hurt, obviously, and rightly so. What kind of parent would do this to another person? What message does it send to their children? That this kind of hate is OK? Lizzie herself said it encourages children to react in an unfavorable way regarding the way people look.
“When kids are in school or whether they are out in public, it’s crucial to teach them the importance of respecting someone who doesn’t look like them,” Lizzie said, in a video posted on her social media accounts.
“Showing them a video might be a joke, but it can be something that shows a child if my mom or dad thinks it’s funny then it must be okay for me to laugh at as well,” she says. “I take great responsibility in the fact that now is the time time to do all I can to speak up for those who might not have a voice or for those who don’t know how to use theirs.”
“I knew in my gut my photo was going to be used,” she added. “After dealing with things like this for a while now, I can sense when this might happen.”
A true inspiration
Following Lizzie condemning the videos, many children instead started posting videos where they said how beautiful Lizzie was. Once again, the haters had lost.
Lizzie has been praised all over the world for her courage throughout her life. She’s written a best-selling book about her life and even been praised by former First Lady Michelle Obama.
Beauty comes from within your heart and soul. Lizzie, you are beautiful! We think her story is deeply inspirational, and we think that everyone should read about her to understand that anything is possible.
Please, share this story with friends and family if you think Lizzie is an incredible person!
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