Khaberni - Sabrina Burlando, aged 19, shared her experience with congenital ptosis on TikTok, achieving millions of views and words of support.
Sabrina Burlando, a 19-year-old from Arizona, shared her story on the TikTok platform to highlight her experience with "congenital ptosis" and show that she is not alone in facing this disorder.
In details reported by "People" magazine, Sabrina was diagnosed immediately after birth after inheriting the disorder from her father. However, doctors did not anticipate the significant impact it would have on her daily life, as this condition complicates natural blinking due to its effect on the eyelid-lifting muscles.
Burlando told "People" magazine: "When people don't know about congenital ptosis, I explain to them that I was born without the muscle responsible for blinking."
At the age of three, Sabrina underwent surgery to restore her ability to blink, but it was not done in the traditional way, she explained: "The surgery allowed me to blink, but through the eyebrow muscle, which is why my eyes appear smaller than average."
Although she doesn't remember much about the surgery, fear and confusion remained with her: "I didn't understand what was happening and why I was different from others."
Difficulties worsened as Sabrina got older, as she faced mockery in elementary and high school, and even at work, which made her feel isolated and hate going to school.
Over time, these experiences forced Sabrina to reevaluate herself. She said: "I realized that there is much more to a person than their appearance. I can't control my looks, but I can control the kind of person I am, and that's much more important."
However, accepting the difference was not easy, especially in the age of social media. Burlando adds: "Images of ideal girls marred my view of myself. I wanted to be as beautiful as I saw on the internet, and I didn’t want to be different."
For most of her life, she tried to hide what distinguished her from others, especially when meeting new people, saying: "I always feared how strangers would look at me. Even now, I still struggle with this."
Sharing on TikTok
But finally, Burlando decided to face reality and shared her story on the TikTok platform, not aiming for fame or spread, but to find someone who understands what she went through, yet she received millions of views and many words of support.
Sabrina was immediately surprised by the positive reactions, receiving numerous messages from people sharing their experience with ptosis. Burlando confirmed that sharing her experience helped her to accept herself more than ever before.
