See Beyond My Face – Kariym Joachim
“Back when I was 13 years old, I was asked to share my experiences as a child patient to medical students at the University of Toronto. Though I was delighted, I was also terribly nervous. With my parents, I created a script that I kept practicing and practicing until I lost my voice. When the day finally came, I stood behind the podium at Convocation Hall and looked at the grand ceiling arches and the rich red carpeting, the seats filled with hundreds of students interested in what I had to say.
That’s when I think something clicked – people were actually interested in what I had to say! The words I’d utter that day could help the children that these future clinicians would one day see. Though I barely regained my voice during that presentation, I think I gained something else too – a passion for public speaking and an increased hunger for knowledge.”
Facial Difference: Treacher Collins Syndrome
Photo: Tanya Louise Workman