An unusually rare diagnosis of Moebius Syndrome consists of severe weaknesses of facial muscles caused by the underdevelopment or absence of certain cranial nerves primarily affecting facial expressions, eye movements, and difficulties with speech. I am one of 0.0002% of people in the world who have been affected by this defect. As I am fortunate enough to have a more mild case than others, nevertheless I have still faced many challenges throughout my life. The inability to move my eyes back-and-forth has directly impacted my mathematical skills, processing speed, and most importantly, my reading skills. Due to this, it causes me to be an exceptionally slow reader, which causes dreadful headaches and blurred vision. However, I learned how to adapt and persevere through these challenges by listening to audiobooks, using a screen reader, and enlarging font sizes of text. Instead of attending only to these difficulties, I learned to focus on my strengths and the things that make me happy. I find joy in the skill of writing and creating stories and poems that bring out my creativity. There have been many interventions, as I tried to learn what works best for my personalized learning style.

As a child I endured struggles with speech and pronouncing words. Speech therapy made a significant impact on my life by helping strengthen those muscles to improve my pronunciation. While I still have some weakness in this area, I chose to let these differences push me even harder to accomplish the many goals that I have in my life. I suffered from severe anxiety at the thought of reading out loud during class, and now I have conquered obstacles including reading aloud and public speaking; things I never thought I would be able to do. I was chosen to give a speech on behalf of my class to a room filled with 500 people. I could have never imagined accomplishing something so grand. While continuing to overcome my challenges by putting myself out there, I exceeded my limits and expectations by getting involved at my high school. I took a brave step forward by being a broadcaster, where I appeared on camera to deliver the morning announcements. The following year, I was selected to be an admissions ambassador where I gave tours to prospective families and had long discussions with them. During the summer, I would socialize with customers at my food service job. I learned to embrace who I am and never let my challenges stop me from living my life to its fullest potential.

I overcame all odds by conquering most of my hardships and developed greater dreams. I am not defined by my disability, nor would I ever allow myself to have that mindset. I can and will do anything I set my mind to with all of the grit, hard work, and determination that I have gained over the past several years. I am strong, I am unique, and I am capable of anything no matter how big or small. By using my strengths to persevere, I pushed myself to do better. I am not the same person I was a few years ago, and I have grown and accomplished countless skills that I never thought in a million years would have been possible. Most things will take me longer than others, but with patience and perseverance I can accomplish anything.

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