Lizzie Velasquez: The skinniest woman in the world

I saw this show advertised in my newspaper
Lizzie Velasquez: The skinniest woman in the world
I was reluctant to watch it
As I thought it was about someone with anorexia
And I usually find those shows massively triggering
But it wasn't
It was about a girl called Lizzie
With a disorder so rare that it doesn't even have a name
Her body is not able to store fat
So she looks emaciated
No matter how much she eats





Lizzie is 27 years old
When she was 17 years old
She came across  Youtube video of a  local interview that she had done
She clicked on it
And was horrified to see that she had been dubbed
'The ugliest woman in the world'
It was an 8 second clip
And when Lizzie saw it
It had already been viewed by over 4 million people
In an interview Lizzie said
'At that moment I thought, well my life is over'

But instead of crumbling
Lizzie decided not to let this get her down
She decided to do what women have done for centuries
She decided to use her looks to her advantage


“My parents said you can have your one good cry and let it out, but you have to pick your head up and move on to something positive,” she told Fox News Latino. “And for me, that was in the form of setting goals, speaking out against cyber bullying and reaching out to the media so people could hear my story.”

Now, 10 years on from seeing that article
Third generation Mexican-American Velasquez was born 4 weeks pre-mature
She has zero per cent body fat
No matter how much she eats

“I hated my condition because it caused so much pain in my life. Not physical pain, but emotional pain. I mean, being a teenager is hard enough, but being a 13-year-old girl with this syndrome, who is blind in one eye, who weighs 58 pounds, and who is constantly picked on by people is almost unbearable,” she said.


But, as she grew older
Lizzie began to love herself



Now I actually look at my condition as a gift,” she said. “I honestly think of it as waking up every morning and it’s Christmas Day and it’s something that I’m blessed to have and I want to share this gift with anyone who will have it.”


Lizzie is now a motivational speaker
Her third book will be released this month
She also has a documentary in the works called The Lizzie Project

“This is not going to be a movie just about my life,” she said. “I feel like I’ve been given such a huge platform that I want to take full advantage of it. ‘The Lizzie Project’ is a call for anyone who wants to unite and make the online world a more positive place,” she said. “My mission is to show that there’s light at the end of the tunnel when it comes to bullying and I’m hoping to do that throughout this movie.”

I had never hears of Lizzie before seeing her on tv this week
I think she is awe inspiring
It would be so easy for her to give up
To lie down and hold up her white flag
It would be so easy for her to feel sorry for herself
But she doesn't
Not one little bit
She is using her disorder as a power for good
I have to admit if I had this disorder
I don't know if I would be handling it as well as Lizzie
She is someone who can't do anything about her condition
It's so rare there is little or no research done on it
She has to walk around every day advertising her disorder
That must be so hard
Because people can be cruel
When we don't understand something
We tend to be afraid of it

But it just goes to show
Beauty comes from the inside
It shines from the heart
And Lizzie is beautiful because love and hope and faith shine out of her so brightly
Beauty is not having a perfect appearance
Beauty is being a good person
It's helping others
Even when you can't help yourself

Lizze has really inspired me
Having re-gained weight recently 
It puts my problems and issues in to perspective
I am healthy
I am happy
I don't need  much more than that

Thank you Lizzie
For reminding me to love myself
No matter what I look like



Refercence: Latino.Foxnews

Have you heard of Lizzie?
Or seen her documentary?
What did you think?