A young woman born with a one in four million neurological condition inspires others as an Instagram star and now views her inability to smile as a "blessing".
Tayla Clement, 24, of Christchurch, New Zealand, was born with Moebius syndrome and has lived her whole life unable to move her eyes left to right, or raise her eyebrows and upper lip.
Moebius syndrome is characterised by facial muscles used to control a person's expressions and eye movements. becoming weakened or even partially paralysed. There is no cure, however, symptoms can be treated.
Having been badly bullied at school, Tayla used to long for a "normal smile", but is now pleased to be different, and believes she was "born to stand out".
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Tayla, who has 18,400 Instagram followers said: "It’s not always been easy. I’ve spent many years hating my smile, wishing I had a 'normal' smile, wishing I just didn’t exist because that seemed easier than being alive, but by some miracle, I’m still here.
"I now know I was born to stand out. I was born to make a difference in this world and I know that whole-heartedly. My syndrome and not being able to smile is the greatest gift I could have ever been given, it has allowed me to already help and inspire so many people".
When she was 12 years old, Tayla underwent facial reanimation surgery with the hope of restoring some voluntary movement in her face.
This corrective procedure – which is sometimes referred to as a 'smile operation' – involved soft tissue being transplanted from Tayla's thigh to both sides of her face.
The intention was to enable Tayla to clench her mouth in a way that would mimic a smile. However, the eight-hour procedure proved to be unsuccessful, leaving her bruised and swollen.
Sadly, Tayla's condition led to her being bullied throughout her school years, with her classmates laughing at her, screaming in her face, and even throwing sheep poo at her.
Tayla recalled: "Even the teachers treated me differently. I would be the only person with my hand up in class and the teacher would just look at me and then look away and not pick me to ask a question.
"The list goes on but I also had sheep poo thrown at me, would be rushed down hills, have my bag emptied on the floor. I even remember on my 16th birthday I turned up to school so excited because people would always bring balloons and cake and food for whoever’s birthday it was in the group.
"I would always bring stuff for everyone else’s birthday so I was excited to be the centre of attention but when I turned up to school no one made a fuss about me.
"I was given a half-eaten block of chocolate. Everything that happened did play a lot on my self-confidence and my self-worth".
As a result, by the time she was 18, Tayla was diagnosed with severe clinical depression and anxiety with PTSD and dissociative attacks.
Six months after the failed operation, Tayla began experiencing suicidal thoughts and ended up in and out of the hospital in the years 2015 and 2016, making six suicide attempts before finding exercises as a coping mechanism.
Tayla, who also has a club foot due to her condition, gave up competitive swimming at 18 due to her mental health issues but decided to once again enter the world of fitness after being contacted by Para-Athletics NZ.
She turned out to be a natural athlete, and shortly afterwards, in February 2018, was even asked to compete in Melbourne. It was here where Tayla set a world #1 ranking throw at the Victorian State Championships.
One year later, in March 2019, Tayla competed at NZ Nationals, throwing an incredible distance of 8.28m, which smashed the World Record in the F43 classification.
Now retired from athletics, the former Paralympic track and field athlete has made the move to public speaking, sharing her experiences of living with facial differences.
She is now very happy with her life and is pleased with the way things have turned out, inspiring thousands of people through her popular Instagram account.
Tayla said: "I stand very firm on the fact that the operation not being successful was 100% a blessing and I’m so grateful for the operation not working because not being able to smile is the greatest gift I could have ever been given!
"Yes, it's taken me right down to below rock bottom but it has given me the opportunity to be a face and voice of hope and inspiration for others.
"It has given me a platform to share my story to empower others and ultimately, given me a purpose for being on this earth. When I was going through my really high points and really low points I didn't have anyone to look up to.
"I didn't have anywhere to go to be inspired or listen to other people's problems or hear them talking about what they had been through so openly. If I had I might have realised I'm not the only person going through that".
She continued: “To be a source of inspiration, empowerment, and hope for others is so amazing. I truly believe everything happens for a reason, whether it be good, bad, or in between. Being able to inspire and empower others truly lights me up beyond words."
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