Renee Dushane was born with a rare genetic disorder called Pfeiffer syndrome. The condition affects the way the bones in the face develop. Renee underwent surgery when she was born so that her brain could grow properly.
She revealed in a viral Tumblr post that her forehead was shaven down, her cheekbones moved forward, and had a "halo" or metal circle screwed into her skull and jaw.
When she goes outside people stare at her unique features and because of that, Renee has struggled with her appearance. She says she "had bangs her whole life to hide her forehead and struggles everyday to be okay with looking this way."
However, when Renee began sharing her experiences with other teens online, the response wasn't from bullies; instead, she was welcomed, embraced, and called an inspiration.
Like bullied teen Ally Del Monte, Renee was able to turn her negative experience into something positive for all.
Renee was chosen by Kylie Jenner to join her anti-bullying campaign, #IAmMoreThan on Instagram.
See Renee's amazing journey below!
h/t: Huffington Post
Renee Dushane was born with a rare condition called Pfeiffer Syndrome. She describes it as, "a genetic disorder where the bones in my face don’t really know how to fuse correctly so part of my jaw is really small. I had to have surgery when I was born so that my brain could grow."
"I went to school with all the same kids all the way through high school. Right around senior year, I started getting very anxious about having to explain my condition to all of the new people I would meet in college. I started going on Tumblr and saw lots of profiles of positive, confident people. It’s so hard to keep myself from responding to the negative comments."
"When I go out in public people will stare. I can't wear makeup like a normal teenage girl. It can be an inner battle to leave my house, but again, I've grown used to it. I've accepted a lot about myself already," she writes on the Huffington Post.
"Who gave celebrities, magazines, and models the right to tell us what is "normal"? We see ad campaign after commercial after movie after celebrity red carpet, and take those messages as right. But in reality, shouldn't we be able to define beautiful ourselves? Shouldn't 10 nice comments weigh more than one negative?"
"Society tells us what is beautiful, to make us buy or do anything to be that way. I may not love the way I look, as a lot of teenage girls don't, but makeup and designer clothes won't change that. The problem has become internal because these opinions of beauty have become fact. You aren't beautiful if you don't have this, or if you don't look like her."
"You may think society isn't to blame, but if this whole thing has taught me anything, it's to challenge fact. Challenge the definition of what is beautiful."
Since Renee began sharing her story, she's received hundreds of thousands of kind responses. Kylie Jenner even reached out to her as part of anti-bullying campaign.
We can tell big things are in the works for Renee!
Please SHARE if her self-acceptance inspires you to love yourself just a little bit more today!
