A woman has shared her battle with facial paralysis which has seen her bullied and called names – but says she “loves the way I look”.
Tiffany Kerchner was diagnosed with Moebius syndrome when she was a baby, a rare birth defect that mainly affects the muscles that control facial expression and eye movement.
Doctors were left stumped for the first few weeks, believing the infant’s symptoms were that of a stroke or cerebral palsy before giving the two-month-old her official diagnosis.
Now 34 years old, Tiffany is making it her mission to raise awareness about her rare condition, including sharing the sometimes horrible ways she’s treated by strangers.
“I used to hate the way I looked,” the nurse from Spring City, Pennsylvania, US, told NeedToKnow.co.uk.
“When younger, people called me names like ‘Two-Face’ or ‘The Cheek’ and I would get really upset.
“As a child, I came home from school crying most days.
“It felt awful, I hated being so different, I just wanted to be and look like everyone else.
“Living with a facial difference is a complicated thing.
“Dating used to be hard because I knew I was rejected a lot just because of how I looked – that hurt.”
Tiffany has since found love and been with her boyfriend for three years, after meeting through a mutual friend.
Although she feels much more comfortable in herself, she still encounters issues in public with insensitive strangers who “scream” when they see her.
She said: “People sometimes scream in the street when they see me and children are afraid.
“It doesn’t help when people with facial differences are portrayed as villains, outcasts, or vigilantes on TV shows or films.
“This impacts my community in such a negative light and has real consequences.
“It’s terrible.
“We’re regular people who just happen to look different.”
Tiffany claims to be stared at wherever she goes.
She said: “Some strangers will talk to me in a childlike voice because people assume that because I look different I have cognitive impairment and that’s just not true.
“People often ask me if I’ve had dental work done or had a stroke.”
But luckily, she hasn’t had to deal with any issues at work.
She said: “When people see me wearing nursing scrubs it’s usually a sign that I’m an employee.
“People ask questions but I always answer them if they ask politely.”
Moebius syndrome is caused by the absence or underdevelopment of the sixth and seventh cranial nerves, which results in facial paralysis.
There is no cure.
For Tiffany, this means she has a different facial structure to most.
She said: “I don’t have any growths or anything on my face.
“This is just my facial structure after having reconstructive surgeries.
“Many people with my condition have the same type of facial structure after having had the same surgeries.”
And luckily, she has no pain related to her facial difference.
She said: “I was released from treatment at the age of 16.
“I have gone back to my surgeon as an adult to inquire about having any more work done to make my face more symmetrical.
“But was told that if they operate again, there’s an 80% chance of the surgery not being successful.
“And I could become permanently paralysed on the right side of my face and with all the work I’ve done, and everything I’ve been through, it’s not worth the risk to me.”
Despite her challenges, Tiffany is determined to raise awareness and show the world that beauty comes in different forms, sharing updates of her life to Instagram (@magicalmoebius ), where she has over 1,500 followers.
She added: “I’ve finally learned to accept and even embrace my difference.
“I feel like I have stronger relationships and friendships because of it – because I know the people in my life love and accept me for who I am.”
