Tiffany was born with Jarcho Levin Syndrome (JLS), which left her with a curved spine, several missing vertebrae and caused her to not grow very tall. She has come to The Doctors to share her inspiring story of perseverance.
Tiffany tells us she has to constantly endure people staring, taunting her and harassing her simply because of her stature. Not holding her back in the slightest, her mom Lucy enrolled her in a dance class as a child and she blossomed. Lucy says the first time seeing her daughter on stage dancing was amazing and brought tears to her eyes. "She just exudes this light, she's free," she says of her daughter Tiffany.
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As for how Tiffany handles JLS, she tells us, "You just deal. Those are the cards I have been dealt... it's my life."
The New York City resident says that taking public transit was a great source of stress. She tells us that she found the mocking and harassment was more intense while on the subway or the bus. She has had people argue with her, photograph her, videotape her and even follow her. She is proud to tell us that she bought herself a car, which has drastically improved her life.
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So how does Tiffany face her hurdles with such grace?
"Everybody has a disability one way or another. There's no perfect and there's no normal... but for me, it's just, get out there. Go live your life. Do what you have to do," she says of how she approaches life with JLS.
Now instead of being afraid or being told she cannot do something, she now says, "I will and I do and I'll show you." Tiffany is now also helping others affected by JLS. Watch the video below to see a heartwarming message from a family that Tiffany has touched.
