When Lizzie Velasquez was born on March 13, 1989, in Texas, no one could have predicted she would become one of the most inspiring voices of her generation. Weighing just 2.1 kilograms at birth, Lizzie was unique from the very start. Doctors later diagnosed her with Marfanoid–Progeroid–Lipodystrophy Syndrome, a condition so rare that only a handful of cases had ever been documented.
This disorder prevents her body from storing fat or gaining weight, no matter her diet, and she has never weighed more than 28 kilograms. It also impaired her vision, leaving her blind in her left eye. From the earliest days of her life, Lizzie had to adapt to a world that didn’t understand her differences—and too often, didn’t try to.