‘I am a person with heart, feelings': Man born without jaw finds love, shares his tough journey

Most of us would agree that being bullied can lower an individual’s confidence and severely impact his/her mental health. Nevertheless, it is self-worth that can help anyone come out stronger after fighting life challenges.

41-year-old Joseph Williams has been fighting against bullying since early childhood. Born with a rare congenital disorder named otofacial syndrome, Williams doesn’t have a jaw. This means that he isn’t able to speak or eat using his mouth and has to use sign language and an eating tube to sustain.

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Despite having a serious disorder, Williams believes that it was ‘love’ that rescued him after surviving decades of feeling ‘worthless’. He now wants to tell all those who are struggling that they too, like him, deserve more out of life.

In conversation with Caters News Agency, Williams unveiled details about his love life. He said that dating was hard for him as he had low self-esteem and felt worthless. It was when he started to believe in himself and realised that he deserved more that he found his wife.

Williams met his now soulmate – Vania in 2019.

“We were friends at first, but we eventually started dating and fell in love,” he told the news agency. “We got married in 2020. I’m sure people would never have expected me to get married. To be honest, I didn’t think I would either.”

Speaking about his past experiences, William shared how people used to run away from him or treat him differently due to his medical condition. He said that this differential treatment led him to think about suicide, but he always tried to keep his spirits up by telling himself that “there is a reason that God made me like this”.

“He gave me this load because he knew I could carry it. I understand that I am different and that some people will think I am ugly and not accept me, but I am still a person who has a heart, feelings and a brain. I should be treated with respect, just as anyone else should be”, he added.

He said that he wished people would consider asking him questions about his condition rather than just staring at him.

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To make his life easier, Williams learned sign language, gestures and used writing notes. He eats food with a special tube in his stomach, which implies he has never tasted food.

Soon after he was born without a jaw, Williams was taken to Chicago for several maxillofacial surgeries. “I had a bone and skin graft as they tried to construct a jaw for me, but as I grew my body rejected it and it was unsuccessful. And I was also put up for adoption, which led to me meeting my adopted family”, the brave-heart told Caters News Agency.

Despite facing so many challenges in life, Williams wants to live his life to the fullest with his wife. He is passionate about playing drums and sharing music, and he wants to become a DJ one day.