A man with a rare condition that left him with one side of his face longer than the other has undergone an excruciatingly painful double jaw surgery to the tune of £25,000.
Growing up, Jordan Hammond was taunted by bullies and, as an adult, he constantly had to deal with people’s stares.
The 30-year-old from Dublin, Ireland, was first diagnosed with facial paralysis at just six months old, a condition that causes dysfunction of the nerves, meaning he is no longer able to move the muscles in the left side of his face.
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It affects around 15 in 100,000 people every year.
“I have had my fair share of stares, looks and fingers pointed at me,” Jordan told Need To Know.
“The stares [used to] really intimidate [me] and I would look away, but now I don’t let it bother me.
“My teenage years were very dark and tough though.
“[That’s when] I realised my smile wasn’t like the rest of my family and friends.
“People in school would mock my smile and then laugh.
“So I refrained from laughing and started covering my face.
“I had to learn to understand my smile, even though it didn’t look like majority of people around me.”
To help with the look of his underbite, Jordan decided to undergo double jaw surgery, costing €30,000 (£25,000).
But it was a very painful recovery.
He said: “My top and bottom jaws were broken and set in place.
“The surgery was five hours in total and then recovery took eight to 10 weeks, with limited foods – mainly liquid-based meals for the duration.
“The recovery was so hard but so worth it, I would do it all again.
“The surgery was a huge success.
“It’s a shock because I sound and look so different now.”
While Jordan’s visible difference has impacted his life negatively when younger, his journey has helped him find a community of like-minded people.
He added: “My visible difference helped me gain friends with people from all over the world growing up.
“They never treated me any differently because of my visible difference and I thank and love them for that.
“My visible difference has heightened my anxiety at times; sometimes I pushed through it, other times I had to take a back seat and find different coping mechanisms.
“You think you are the only one going through it but as soon as you take that step online, you see how much of a community there is.
“So many mothers also reach out to ask questions for their babies that have facial differences.
“Its nice to be able to be that person that can help inspire and be looked up to by others in order to help them gain the confidence they’ve always wanted.
“Everything we ever need is within us, we just need to awaken it.?”
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