Background
The eldest of three children born to Rita and Guadalupe Velásquez, Lizzie was born on March 13, 1989 in Austin, Texas.
The eldest of three children born to Rita and Guadalupe Velásquez, Lizzie was born on March 13, 1989 in Austin, Texas.
She studied at Texas State University until late 2012, majoring in communication studies.
She has a rare congenital disease which, among other symptoms, impedes her from accumulating body fat. This condition resulted in bullying during her childhood and early youth and ultimately inspired her to take up motivational speaking. She has gained many supporters and speaks out against bullying.
Born four weeks prematurely, her birth weight was only 1.219 kilograms (2 pounds eleven ounces).
She has zero percent body fat and has never weighed more than 29 kg (64 pounds). She is unable to gain weight and is required to eat many small meals and snacks throughout the day.
She is blind in her right eye, which began to cloud over when she was four years of age, and has limited vision in the other. She has a weak immune system.
Her condition is similar to many other conditions, especially progeria.
However, her condition is not terminal. Involved medical researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center have expressed the opinion that it may be a form of neonatal progeroid syndrome, which does not affect her healthy bones, organs, and teeth. Ever since Lizzie was dubbed the "World"s Ugliest Woman" by cyberbullies in a video posted on YouTube, Lizzie has spoken out against bullying and has attended one of the most influential conferences: TED, where she talked about the topic of "How Do YOU Define Yourself" and has garnered 40 million views on her YouTube Channel.
Lizzie is known for her optimism.