Marlie Casseus

I've never met my hero, and I don't really know much about her. What I do know about her changed they way I look at my life and why I should be happy with the blessings that I have. Marlie Casseus was a normal baby like everyone else. As Marlie started to grow, her mother started to notice her face was starting to take an abnormal shape.

Doctors diagnosed it as a severe case of Fibrous Dysplasia. Fibrous Dysplasia is a disease affecting the bone, making it grow in abnormal ways and weaken as it grows. At the age of 13 Marlie's head weighed 18 pounds and in her native country of Haiti people saw her as cursed or an animal and were afraid of her.

Marlie's family was able to find enough sponsors to bring Marlie to an American doctor that had the knowledge needed to give their loving daughter a new face. In the first surgery Dr. Jesus Gomez removed the upper portion of the growth that was limiting Marlie's breathing and eye sight. As they started removing the bone they found it was filled with liquid, which is what made it so heavy. Marlie went back to her home country and was welcomed by everyone who at one time shunned her. The healing process was long and hard for Marlie and it was only the beginning. The second surgery Dr. Gomez removed Marlie's jaw and replaced it with an artificial one, along with re constructing her face.

Through all the hard times that Marlie went through she was happy. She would dance with her family and slowly as her face healed she was able to smile. She showed me to look at the bright side of a situation and that it could always be worse. My life may be hard but I have it so much better than a lot of people. I'm happy that I'm so blessed to be healthy and strong and able to provide for myself.