I was born at Toronto’s Mount Sinai hospital in August 1995 with a lot of what society would refer to as ‘problems.’ But I like to think of my imperfections as awesome differences. I was born with a cleft palate, pectus carinatum (which causes my chest to bow outward), clubbed thumbs, ear deformities, and overlapping toes. Early in life, I was diagnosed with Pierre Robin Syndrome, a condition that leads to a smaller than normal lower jaw and a tongue that falls back into the throat, making breathing difficult. I remember my mom telling me stories about how I had to be positioned a certain way in my car seat to prevent choking on my tongue. On one occasion, I was rushed to the hospital becaus...