My first son, Noah, was born on March 12, 2000 with Down Syndrome. The tests administered during pregnancy for Down Syndrome and other conditions somehow didn’t indicate Downs – so, yes, Noah’s condition was certainly a surprise. Frankly, for the first 24 hours Noah’s condition was a dramatically negative surprise to me and to my […]

There are days where I feel as though I am living the life of Benjamin Button. You know the movie, the one where Brad Pitt ages in reverse. I feel more alive and free at the age of 41 than I ever was in my early 20’s. These days, I can walk my son to […]

At this very moment last year, I was undergoing surgery that would change my life forever. Little did I know, that it would be for the better. In May of 2016, I had my annual eye exam to get my contact prescription renewed. My eye doctor then recommended that I see a specialist, because I […]

A few months ago, right after I finished my first year of law school at Brooklyn Law my Mom and I decided to go on a trip to Boston. We were so excited and blasted the Beatles the entire drive! Once we arrived at the hotel at about noon we went to check in. Right […]

I was getting a manicure a couple of years ago when the woman sitting next to me suggested to me that Botox might be very helpful. She was referring to my right hand. I have Cerebral Palsy which affects the right side of my body. I thanked her and I knew her intentions were sincere. […]

When I was about five years old I was diagnosed with a severe hearing impairment on my left side.   I was not diagnosed until I reached school age because nobody had noticed it before.  Like so many of the others who have stories about living with any type of difference –it was simply all I ever […]

  I learned about Don’t Hide It Flaunt It when my daughter Callia wrote the winning essay for the 2015 Kids Flaunt It/Scholastic contest.  She wrote about her brother Tim and how having him as her brother makes her different. When I first read Callia’s essay, I felt like maybe I had let her down […]

I was 28 when I had my first attack. My symptoms were blinding headaches and extreme eye pain followed by vision loss. Honestly I thought I had a brain tumor so the diagnosis of MS was a relief. They gave me a 5-day IV infusion of solumedrol and aside from being very bloated, I felt […]

My name is Jessica Cox and two years ago, I got married. That may not sound that extraordinary but when I was a child I did not really think that I would tie the knot. In fact I did not think of really having relationships. You see I was born without arms and, like a […]

We at Don’t Hide It Flaunt It are SO lucky to have Rebekah Marine (the beautiful Lucky Fin Project Ambassador and Bionic Model) and also Gianna Schiavone (the gorgeous Ambassador and model for Runway of Dreams, the non-profit Foundation that just announced its big partnership with Tommy Hilfiger!) both share their insights from walking together in New York […]

My name is Penny Loker. I’m 34 years old and I’m considered ugly…bare with me– just keep reading! I was born with a facial difference made up of 2 conditions; Goldenhar Syndrome and left Hemiofacial Microsonomia. All this means is that the soft tissues and bone on the left hand side of my face didn’t […]

Whenever I think of how to live my life as a Little Person at twenty years old, I think of an American proverb that says, “Don’t judge a man until you’ve walked a mile in his shoes.” Especially in today’s society, I find us making assumptions so quickly that it often creates a different picture. […]

Probably the most unexpected thing about me is that by virtue of being an athlete, I had actually felt judged years before I ever looked physically different. That is because when you are an athlete, people are always watching you, and you always have to perform, even on and off the field.  Back then, quite […]

When I was growing up, I just wanted to be normal. I wanted to have smooth skin – in any ‘normal’ skin tone other than red. I wanted to have my hair plaited by the girls in my class and be invited to more parties. I hoped that others would stop being too afraid to […]

I have always been a dreamer.  As long as I can remember I loved kicking back and thinking about my future. In fact, when I was a mere 7 years old my Dad brought me home a t-shirt while on a business trip and it came with iron on numbers. I recall doing some “heavy […]