Nationality American Role Motivational speaker Name Lizzie Velasquez | Other names Lizzie Velasquez Height 1.57 m | |
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Full Name Elizabeth Ann Velasquez Born March 13, 1989 (age 35) ( 1989-03-13 ) Austin, Texas, U.S. Occupation Motivational speaker
First spoke with Barbizon modeling acting agency in 2014 Known for Public speaking, anti-bullying activism, public appearances, and book authorship Education Texas State University (2007–2012) Parents Guadalupe Velasquez, Rita Velasquez Siblings Chris Velasquez, Marina Velasquez Books Be Beautiful - Be You, Lizzie Beautiful: The Lizzi, Choosing Happiness Similar People Hayley Okines, Sam Berns, Lizzie Borden, iJustine, Sara Hirsh Bordo Profiles | ||
Alma mater Texas State University | ||
A brave heart the lizzie velasquez story official trailer 1 2015 documentary hd
Elizabeth Ann "Lizzie" Velásquez (/ˈlɪzi vəˈlæskɛz/; born March 13, 1989) is an American motivational speaker and author. She was born with a rare congenital disease that, among other symptoms, prevents her from accumulating body fat. She has also been diagnosed with Marfan syndrome. Her conditions resulted in relentless bullying during her childhood and ultimately inspired her to take up motivational speaking.
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How do you define yourself lizzie velasquez tedxaustinwomen
Early life
The eldest of three children born to Rita and Guadalupe Velásquez, Lizzie was born on March 13, 1989, in Austin, Texas. Born four weeks prematurely, her birth weight was only 1.219 kilograms (2 pounds, 11 ounces).
Velásquez studied at Texas State University until late 2012, majoring in communication studies. She is a Roman Catholic and has said of her faith, "It's been my rock through everything, just having the time to be alone and pray and talk to God and know that He's there for me."
Condition
Velásquez's condition is an undiagnosed and non-terminal genetic disorder that bears similarities to many other conditions, especially progeria. Medical researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center have speculated that it may be a form of neonatal progeroid syndrome, which does not affect Velásquez's healthy bones, organs, and teeth.
Velásquez is medically unable to gain weight, which is a hallmark of her rare disorder. She has never weighed more than 29 kg (64 pounds), and is required to eat many small meals and snacks throughout the day. Additionally, she is blind in her right eye, which began to cloud over when she was 4, and she is vision-impaired in her left eye.
Career
Ever since she was dubbed the "World's Ugliest Woman" in a video posted on YouTube in 2006, when she was 17, Velásquez has spoken out against bullying. In January 2014 she gave a TEDxAustinWomen Talk titled "How Do YOU Define Yourself" and her YouTube videos have received over 54 million views. She is known for her optimism. For National Bullying Prevention Month in 2015, she hosted a social media challenge for Bystander Revolution's Month of Action.
Her first work, co-authored with her mother, Rita, is a self-published autobiography published in 2010 in English and Spanish. It is called Lizzie Beautiful: The Lizzie Velásquez Story and includes letters Velásquez's mother wrote to her as a child.
Velásquez has also written two books directed at teenagers, which share personal stories and offer advice. Be Beautiful, Be You (2012) shares her journey "to discover what truly makes us beautiful, and teaches readers to recognize their unique gifts and blessings". The book is also available in Spanish as Sé bella, sé tú misma (2013). Another book, Choosing Happiness (2014), talks about some of the obstacles Velásquez has faced and how she "learned the importance of choosing to be happy when it's all too easy to give up". Both books were published by a Redemptorist publishing house, Liguori Publications.
A documentary film titled A Brave Heart: The Lizzie Velásquez Story premiered at SXSW on March 14, 2015. The movie aired on Lifetime on October 17, 2016.