A biography for Lizzie Velasquezhasn’t been written yet.
“In 2013, I did a TEDx talk in Austin. Until then I had sort of a following online but this was completely different - it went viral.”
“As I got older, I knew my syndrome wasn't going away. It was a hard pill to swallow. I wanted to look like everyone else and blend in, and I couldn't find a way to make that happen. I couldn't blame the doctors or my parents, so I blamed myself.”
“I feel like I've built up this persona of always being positive and always being happy, and I worried if my audience sees me not in that light, will they think less of me? Will they discredit me? Will I just be nothing?”
“Friends who were so supportive absolutely made my high school - that could have been traumatic - they definitely made it bearable.”
“Young girls and boys from all around the world let me know their personal story, and I can feel their smile through their words. To be able to look at those comments and just get encouragement from them and know that I am living the life that I'm supposed to is what keeps me going every day.”
“Being a 13-year-old girl who is constantly picked on is unbearable.”
“But I have the most incredible support system in the world. They let me have those times when I just want to cry. But I give myself a deadline and say, today's my sad day but tomorrow when the sun comes up it's done.”
“I believe there definitely are good things about social networking. It's a way for people to connect all around the world.”
“People think cyberbullying will never end, so why try to fix it? Which I completely understand. I will be the first to tell you that it's not going to end. But if you start making the change and start making the steps, over time change will happen.”
“I make it a point to let myself have bad days on a regular basis.”
“I eat small portions of crisps, sweets, chocolate, pizza, chicken, cake, doughnuts, ice cream, noodles and pop tarts all day long, so I get pretty upset when people accuse me of being anorexic.”
“I normally don't ever talk about my dating life or anything super personal in the press just because I feel like there's this fine line between what to keep to myself and what to share.”
“I've met so many people who have come up to tell me their personal stories, and a lot of them express the same feelings that I have, especially reading things online.”
“I eat every 15-20 minutes to keep my energy levels up.”
“Bullying in 2015 has a whole new look. It doesn't ever end. It's 24/7.”
“I taught myself how to be a speaker on Google. I just Googled 'how to be a motivational speaker.'”
“God made me the way I am for a reason and I would never change that. I lead a normal life as much as possible and deal with the bumps in the road as they come along with my head held high and a smile on my face!”
“I could eat absolutely whatever I want, whenever I want and I won't really gain any weight. I'm going to be 25 in March, and I've never weighed over about 64 pounds in my entire life.”
“You'd assume I was being bullied a tonne at school and it was horrible, but in reality, I really was getting bullied everywhere else.”
“I can pretty much make a joke out of any situation, I'm quick on my feet and I love to laugh. I am the biggest girly girl. I love to get dressed up, go shopping, and getting my nails done.”