Help kids with facial differences become leaders

My name is Katie and I have been involved with AboutFace since I was two weeks old. I was born with Treacher Collins Syndrome, bilateral Microtia, and a cleft palate. Treacher Collins Syndrome is basically saying that the bones in my face didn’t fully develop. I have a small face, small cheek bones, and an extremely small jaw. Microtia means that my ears also didn’t develop. Instead, I have little earlobes.

My facial difference can define me. But, it doesn’t define the fact that I love tea or that I’m a dancer, but it can define me by the fact I have to think twice before sitting down at a restaurant or that I change hearing aid batteries instead of earrings. It also defines me by the fact that I am courageous and brave. Living with a facial difference can be hard; I was called ugly before I even knew what that word meant. Every day I feel like I am on display when I walk down the street.

That is why Camp Trailblazers is so important to me. Camp Trailblazers is my escape. When I describe camp, the first word that pops into my head is “breathe”. I can breathe because it is my safe place. I am surrounded by people who get it. They understand the frequent hospital visits, the anxiety, and they understand what it's like to be me. We have so much fun at Trailblazers, but the best part is, no one is staring at you. No one is judging you. In fact, they’re cheering for you.

I was ten years old when I first stepped on that Camp Trailblazers bus. And every year since, camp never felt like going away - it was going home.