Wonder
Man Says People Used To ‘Run Away’ From Him Due To Deformity, But He Has Finally Found Love
His life began with his mother putting him up for adoption.
Joseph Williams grew up through many, many hardships and challenges. All because the 41-year-old was born with a rare condition called otofacial syndrome. He has no jaw, which means he can’t talk or eat properly because of this deformity.
A surgery was done as soon as he was born to attach a fake jaw, but it didn’t work.
“I had a bone and skin graft as they tried to construct a jaw for me,” Williams shared his story. “But as I grew, my body rejected it, and it was unsuccessful.”
“Being born like this has caused me many problems, but I have tried not to let it affect me. I can’t eat, speak or even breathe properly. I have a tube in my stomach, which I can place blended food into, but this means that I have never tasted food.”
His birth mother gave him up for adoption, but fortunately, he was adopted by a family that loved him the way he was. But life continued to treat him horribly as his peers shunned him because of his appearance. Williams was bullied by those who weren’t running away, scared of his deformity.
He spoke, “I understand that I am different and that some people will think I am ugly and not accept me, but I am still a person who has a heart, feelings, and a brain.”
“I should be treated with respect, just as anyone else should be.”
Williams found himself more agitated when people stared at him instead of just asking him about his condition. The man who works as a welder had low self-esteem and was a recluse for most of his life. It took him a long time before he finally chinned up to begin his quest to look for someone to love.
“I had such low self-esteem and felt worthless, but when I started believing in myself and realized I deserved more, I ended up finding my wife,” Williams happily shared.
He was speaking about Vania, his 39-year-old wife, whom he married in 2019.
“We met through work towards the end of 2019. We got talking, and she admitted she thought I was a gang member, and that’s how I lost my jaw,” Williams hilariously recalled. “We were friends at first, but we eventually started dating and fell in love. We got married in 2020.”
“I’m sure people would never have expected me to get married. To be honest, I didn’t think I would either,” admitted the welder.
He is now taking life one step at a time. Williams shared that he actually dreams of becoming a professional DJ one day because music had always been his other means to express himself aside from using sign language.
“Although sometimes I want to hide away from the world and cry, I have to remember that there is a reason that God made me like this,” Willams shared. “He gave me this load because he knew I could carry it. Being born without a jaw has given me a different outlook on life, and it has made me who I am today.”
