An influencer suffers from a rare syndrome that prevents her from smiling or showing any emotion.
Paula Paiva says she was expressionless when she was born.
The now 26-year-old said: “I ended up in the ICU because they had to give me a tube since I couldn’t feed on breast milk.
“The doctor at the time couldn’t determine my diagnosis and said I would have a life expectancy of at most three years.”
After three months and countless tests, Paula was diagnosed with Moebius syndrome.
It’s an extremely rare neurological disorder that causes facial paralysis and the inability to move the eyes from side to side.
Paula, who lives in Rolândia, Brazil, added to local media: “I can’t smile, close my mouth, or my eyes, or show any emotion.
“I also have anxiety because of the syndrome.”
While growing up, Paula had to have three eye ops, as well as physio and speech therapy.
She said: “I developed as much as I could and improved every day.
“But, for example, I only took my first steps at my second birthday party.”
Sadly, Paula was bullied at school.
She said: “I remember always receiving different looks, jokes, and some hurtful comments.
“But the worst period was between the ages of 10 and 12.
“I heard these things and felt bad, so I isolated myself to avoid comments.”
The abuse got so bad that her parents decided to move her to another school, where she made friends and thrived academically.
In 2020, Paula started posting clips of her day-to-day life on TikTok.
She revealed: “I received many comments asking what was different about my face. I made a video talking about it, and it went viral.
“I gained 10 thousand followers in two days.”
Paula now boasts 17,800 followers on the platform, but the hurtful comments sadly continue.
She said: “There are comments about my face, my eyes. I posted a video tying my hair, and I received hate.
“But I’m living my dream of working as an influencer, and that’s a small price we pay. I try to just ignore it.”
