When you meet Delila Vasquez, it's hard to believe she wasn't always confident. The Woodrow Wilson High School senior exudes confidence, which she said came as she got older and found her voice.
"Because that's how I am and what I look like," Vasquez explained. "I had to accept it and grow up and be confident, and to love yourself."
Vasquez wrote a book titled 'In CHARGE of My Life' to help encourage other students like her. Vasquez was born with a rare genetic disorder called CHARGE syndrome. It doesn't affect every person the same way. For Vasquez, it caused DeafBlindness.
"I was born blind. Like this eye, I cannot see," Vasquez said, pointing to her right eye. "And it was so hard to understand what's going on when I'm just completely deaf."
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Vasquez was born without eardrums. Doctors constructed ears from her own bone and tissue. She uses a cochlear implant to help her hear.
"It's really amazing to watch her spirit, her influence on other students," Dallas ISD teacher for the DeafBlind Crystal Sapier said.
Sapier said when Vasquez was in 4th grade, she told her she wanted to write a book. Sapeir ended up transcribing the book her former student wrote.
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"I'm extremely proud of her," Sapier said. "She can do anything that she wants to do. She puts her mind on something and makes it happen."
"Cause my whole life, the answer was 'No,'" Vasquez said. "Don't be ashamed of your disability. Never be ashamed."
You can order Vasquez's book, 'In CHARGE of My Life', here.
