Our World: LIZZIE VELASQUEZ

Lizzie Velasquez is an American woman of 25 years and she has an illness that only two people in the world have. The illness makes it difficult to gain weight (she has never weighted more than 29kg) and she can not see by one eye. When she was born his parents were told she would not survive, but they rather be frightened, they took her home and loved her. At this conference, Lizzie talks about her past, when she started kindergarten and how her classmates watched her different. All she wanted when she was young was to wake up one morning and that the illness will disappear. She looked ugly, and felt like the other children get away from her. He suffered bullying.

At one point in the conference she asks: "What is it that defines us? What defines who you are as a person?" At first she thought it was her appearance what defined, but she was wrong. Thanks to the great emotional support around her, she realized that she could not let the illness define her as a person. The life of each is put into our hands. Each one decided if we go in the right direction or the wrong; we define who we are as a person: "You're the one that defines you."

This woman, nicknamed 'the ugliest woman in the world', endured insults from strangers and suffered very much, but began to realize that her life is in her hands. She learned to see the positive side of things and she satart realized that she could not focus only on bad things, she would not let anyone define who she is: "I'll let my successes and achievements be what define me. No my appearance."

She learned to change the critics of others into something good to help her to become in someone better. She decided to become in a motivational speaker and write a book. And that's what she did. Lizzie is graduate from university, she has a major in English and a degree in communication studies. She says us to use the negativity of our lives to be better persons.

Here you have her conference. For me, is a very motivational speaker and I really reconsider these ideas. She is a warrior and I think she is very brave to face the bad things in her life.