A story that inspired me

12 Jan

Ever heard of the girl with no face?I did. Just a moment ago.

I was channel surfing and the image of Juliana caught my eye. I couldn’t take my eyes off the screen.

I was speechless at first, I couldn’t believe what I saw. I watched as she goes through her speech therapy.

Who are we to complain? I want this, I need that?!

This is Juliana Wetmore.

(source)

She was born in March 2003. Barely 7 years old, she has gone through numerous surgeries, operations, consultations just to fight to survive.

(But no matter what, these new parents had a wish. “That if there was something wrong, she wouldn’t be alone. We wanted to make sure she felt loved,” said Tom, as he began to cry. “She squeezed my hand.”

Little Juliana is missing 30 – 40 percent of the bones in her face.

“She has no upper jaw, no cheek bones, no eye sockets, and she’s missing the corner of her ear,” explains Tom.

Her birth defect is called Treacher Collins Syndrome. Doctors say it’s the worst case they’ve ever seen.”) – source

(source)

I watched Juliana as she faced the world with courage and admiration from people all over the world. The essence of a young kid, enjoying every moment with her family and friends never left her. The way she jumped, screamed and show her excitement moved me to tears. An angel indeed.

She needed a night nurse to take care of her. As she was unable to close her eyes while sleeping, the nurse had to put some kind of gel into her eyes to prevent it from becoming too dry, then put a film/plastic to cover it in place.

She can only eat through a tube and to show her affection to her mom, Juliana is only able to lick her.

But no doubt, this little angel has been an inspiration to all. Her happiness that she brings is one that humans are lacking.

Juliana’s mom and dad, you have my greatest respect.

Still want to complain about how sad your life is? Think again.

Click here for more details on Juliana Wetmore and see how you can help this little bright spark.

8 Responses to “A story that inspired me”

  1. Satchmo April 16, 2010 at 5:17 AM #

    Oh god, it’s so cruel…

    That isn’t bravery.

    In a good, humane world that girl would have been put down.

    What selfish monsters her parents are…

    • Erik April 27, 2010 at 2:05 AM #

      You’re right. If I may put it extremely blunt, people who need THAT much help to stay alive, should not be. That said.. she is ofcourse, very courageous. But that is not her decision, since she is put it that position by the will of others.

      • Sara D. September 27, 2011 at 8:30 AM #

        dat little girl is no different from u n me. so if u don’t have anyting 2 say about her den don’t sen a comment.

    • Trudy September 27, 2010 at 8:52 PM #

      I’ve had to read your comment several times to make sure I’ve read it correctly.
      I think the only monster here is you.

      She is a beautiful, intelligent, warm, funny and loving little girl who is clearly enjoying life. She is being raised by an equally warm and loving family.

      Thank god she wasn’t given to you. The universe clearly knew you would not be up to the challenge.

      • Sara D. September 27, 2011 at 8:27 AM #

        i agree wit u 100%. its not dat little girls fault for wat she looks like, its a way of life n she’s got every rite to live n have a wonderful life like u n me.

      • Nick October 21, 2011 at 6:53 AM #

        She’s enjoying life? How do you know? Are you her? Have you been through 30+ surgeries as an 8 year old? Would you enjoy life if you looked like that? What happens when she gets to middle school when children are at their cruelest? What happens when she gets to high school and the other kids start having jobs and dating and she can’t?

        Let’s be honest. She should have been aborted, or allowed to die after birth. That’s not cruel, it’s just fact. Her parents have given her no gift. By giving life, they’ve given her a life of trauma and heartbreak and suffeiring. I feel bad for her, but her parents are NOT good people for putting her through this.

  2. Leah September 20, 2010 at 4:09 PM #

    I think we live in a very narrow minded ignorant world where people think that anyone who’s deformed doesn’t deserve to live. “put down”? This little girl is NOT a dog. The only reason people see what she goes through as cruel is because people are cruel. So just because most of society sees her deformity as a cruelty, it means she doesn’t deserve to be alive?

    From the videos and pictures of this little girl, she is happy to live each day. Her family and friends appreciate and love her. That’s humanity at its best. Anyone deserves a chance, and just because they may need help to live doesn’t mean that they aren’t worth it.

    I’m so ashamed of the way our society thinks.

    P.s: It’s nice to see that there are other people in the world who are able to recognize the beauty of people. I think it’s great that you see her as a kid, not as a joke, or as some cruel act of God (or a God or nature or whatever)

    <3

  3. flo September 20, 2010 at 4:16 PM #

    Hi! Thanks for all your comments.

    I’m really glad to share this story with people around the world.

    To me, society in some way shaped our lives, our thinking and behaviour, but at some point of time, we look and think back about the path we took, whether it was worth it.

    Cheers,
    Flo

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