Natalie and Mark Weaver of Charlotte, North Carolina, have three beautiful children. Their oldest child, Sophia, was diagnosed with an unimaginable condition at birth.
Sophia suffers from Rett syndrome, a rare brain disorder that impacts nearly every aspect of her life. She has been hospitalized countless times and undergone dozens of surgeries.
Sophia also has facial deformities so severe that Natalie says the entire family faced hateful comments and stares on a regular basis.
In 2018, Natalie came across a poster that left her absolutely horrified — and she decided enough was enough.
A Twitter troll had stolen a photo of Sophia and used her face in a vile way…
This story was originally published on LittleThings in 2018.
Natalie Weaver is a wife, mother, and activist living in Charlotte, North Carolina.
When she and her husband, Mark, decided to have children, they never imagined their firstborn would have a slew of preexisting conditions.
Nine-year-old Sophia suffers from a rare brain disorder called Rett syndrome.
Rett syndrome is typically diagnosed in girls during their infant and toddler years.
Symptoms include slowed brain growth, breathing difficulty, impaired motor skills, and a decline in social and language skills.
Sophia also suffers from facial deformities.
"She is the strongest human being I know," Natalie says.
Sophia also has two siblings who love her unconditionally.
When Sophia was a baby, Natalie says the "hate and stares" they received were so painful that she hid away in darkness for seven years.
Over a year ago, however, Natalie decided to stand up and fight against the bullying, misconceptions, and general hateful attitude towards innocent children like Sophia.
"I will not be silenced by hate," she declared.
Natalie has since become an advocate for children with disabilities and medically fragile children.
She co-founded Advocates for Medically Fragile Kids NC. According to the website, the organization works with legislators and policy makers to ensure they are fully educated on the hardships and impact on families.
Natalie also speaks out about the need for financial assistance for medically fragile children.
"#MedicaidMatters because it covers necessary equipment for kids w disabilities that private insurance won't," she wrote on Twitter. "This stander allows Sophia to stand, strengthen, build muscles & enjoy a dance party. Prv. Ins covers 0% Medicaid covers 100%"
In 2018, Natalie came across a post on Twitter that left her so horrified, she urged the social platform to ban the user in question.
A Twitter troll had stolen a photo of Sophia and used it to promote eugenic abortions, in which the decision to abort a fetus is based on factors like sex, race, and disability — as a result of prenatal genetic testing.
The reported message read: "It is okay to think that every child matters however a lot of them do not hence the amnio test. It should be a mandatory test and if it proves negative and the woman does not want to abort then all bills accrued after that is on her and the father."
Natalie was shocked when Twitter denied her request, stating there was nothing wrong with the poster.
Furious, Natalie took to her own Twitter page to share her story.
"Just received an email that Twitter doesn't think a person using my child's image as the poster child to ABORT & to weed out all the 'defectives' in utero is a violation."
Natalie's message went viral with thousands of people showing their support for the outraged mother.
Twitter changed its tune in the wake of the heated backlash, suspended the troll's account, and responded to Natalie again:
"Hateful imagery will now be considered sensitive media under our media policy. We consider hateful imagery to be logos, symbols, or images whose purpose is to promote hostility and malice against others based on their race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, or ethnicity/national origin.
If this type of content appears in header or profile images, we will now accept profile-level reports and require account owners to remove any violating media."
"Tonight, Mark and I got matching tattoos of Sophia's actual heartbeat w/ a shooting star. We saw one the night before she was born thru the hospital window.
"I took it as a sign that things would be ok and they were. She's a gift"
Natalie and her family will continue to fight for Sophia and the rights of individuals with disabilities.
This is one battle she has rightfully won.
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