Tayla Clement, 24, of Christchurch, New Zealand, suffers from Moebius syndrome, a rare congenital neurological disorder. The incidence of this syndrome is about 1 in 50,000 cases and there is no cure.
Tayla Clement suffers from rare Moebius syndrome.
The disease causes the facial nerves, which control certain eye movements and facial expressions, to underdeveloped. Not only that, Tayla also has clubfoot and diabetes.
At the age of 12, Tayla underwent orthopedic surgery in hopes of restoring facial movements. However, the 8-hour surgery was unsuccessful, even leaving her face with swollen bruises.
With a strange face, Tayla suffered many sarcastic and teasing words, especially at school. The girl who “can’t laugh” became the object of bullying by her friends.
“My eyebrows didn’t move, my upper lip couldn’t move, I couldn’t smile, hence the name ‘Girl who can’t smile’,” Tayla said.
Tayla said she was yelled at, had dirty things thrown at her. Even the teacher discriminated against Tayla: “I was the only one in the class who raised my hand to speak but was ignored by the teacher.” On her 16th birthday, instead of gifts and cake, Tayla received a chocolate bite.
However, because she did not want to cause trouble for her family, she chose to remain silent and endure everything. Tayla confided that the feeling of isolation and low self-esteem caused her to fall into severe depression. By the time she graduated from high school, she had attempted suicide six times.
After that, Tayla went swimming to feel like a normal person. However, this sport did not help improve her mental health. After missing the Rio 2016 Paralympic qualifier, Tayla left the green track because she was exhausted.
The turning point happened when Tayla switched to gym and daily walks. This helps her to control her mood better. Not long after, Tayla registered to participate in the track and field tournament for athletes with disabilities in New Zealand.
In 2018, Tayla won first place in a weightlifting competition at the Victorian State Championships, in Melbourne. In 2019, she participated in the New Zealand national weightlifting championship, winning 8.28 m, thereby breaking the world record in the F43 class.
With these achievements, the female athlete gradually gained the attention of the public. Tayla then gave inspirational talks to people with facial deformities with her true story.
“I have overcome anything, being able to inspire people and help people. That makes me very happy,” Tayla said.
Recently Tayla signed with an international modeling agency. In addition to the opportunity to participate in photo shoots and fashion shows, this job also means a lot to her as she can inspire many others. Currently, her Instagram attracts 24,000 followers. “It’s a great feeling to be needed by others,” Tayla shared happily.
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