2 news segments featuring Kelsey Ferrill!
It was a brave step into the spotlight for a young woman living with a condition that makes her look different, but the Calgary woman is going beyond her comfort zone to give others a lesson on how to treat people with differences. Jill Croteau reports.
Kelsey Ferrill knows firsthand what it's like not looking like most people. The 28-year-old has spent her life making sure people didn't notice her and always hoped they wouldn't stare.
"A lot of people don't understand what it's like to be different," she said.
Kelsey Ferrill was born with Moebius Syndrome, a rare condition that impacts facial muscles that are partially paralyzed. Many aren't able to express outward emotion.
This month, Ferrill stepped out of her comfort zone for others like her, giving a presentation in front of hundreds of students at St. Mary's School in Okotoks.
"It was so scary and so intimidating to look out and see 800 kids staring at you," Ferrill recalled. "I was so close to not going but I knew if I [didn't], that people would be so disappointed and I would be disappointed in myself. I knew I had to do it. It's not for me.
"I want people to know why she looks different and not pretend it's not there," Way said.
"Some days I wish not for me, but for her, because those days will come with the older kids — you get bugged and I want to make her strong and know it's okay to be different," she added.
The school presentation was a powerful moment for both Ferrill and Nyla.
"If I didn't have Moebius, I wouldn't have a purpose in life," she said.