Born Different

Little Sophi Green loves to dance – despite being born with no arms. The seven-year-old has adapted to carry out a dizzying array of activities with her feet, including eating with a knife and fork or chopsticks, writing and even riding a bike. Adopted from China when she was just two years old, Sophi lives with adoptive parents Christianne and Jeremy in Herriman, Utah, USA. And the couple were quick to realise just how much she was able to do without arms.

Identical twins who were born looking very different could finally look alike thanks to plastic surgery. Gabriel Cooper was born with Pierre Robin Syndrome, which meant his jaw did not fully form – leading to a facial disfigurement. After 19 years of looking different Gabriel is preparing for plastic surgery, which could make him look identical to his brother Hadin. The family will travel from Alabama to New York City in May where Gabriel will have surgery performed by The Baby Face Foundation to dramatically alter his appearance.

A four-year-old boy is unaware of the rare condition that makes him look like an elderly man. Just like any typical four-year-old, Bayzid Sikder loves playing football, eating his mum's dinners and enjoying cuddles with his grandad. But his sagging skin and wrinkles make Bayzid, from Magura, Bangladesh, look more like an elderly man than a young boy who is yet to go to school. Medical experts have been left stumped by his condition and despite Bayzid's family taking him to numerous hospitals across Bangladesh, doctors have tried and failed to come up with either a diagnosis or treatment.Dr Debashish Biswas, a consultant at Magura hospital, believes Bayzid can eventually make a full recovery but admits the potentially expensive medication could hold up treatment.

A MUM who was called a ‘Dalmatian' by bullies who picked on her skin condition is using her striking looks to empower women. Stunning Tanesha Brown endured years of taunts because of her vitiligo – which causes white patches all over her body. But now the make-up artist is embracing her unique skin – and says men can't get enough of her distinctive looks. Glamorous Tanesha, 32, from LA, suffered from low self-esteem and would cake her face in thick make-up after years of cruel remarks. It wasn't until she fell pregnant aged 20 that Tanesha finally started to embrace her unique look. And now she uses her appearance to inspire women to love themselves through her Instagram account – the Vitiligo Queen.

A woman with excess facial hair has ditched her razors and grown a full beard – and claims she's never felt sexier. Rose Geil, 39, first noticed her excess hair when she was just 13 and started shaving immediately. The devastated teenager, from Oregon, America, quickly realised she would have to shave every day to keep the stubble at bay. But after years of shaving, plucking and expensive laser removal procedures, Rose has now decided to accept her whiskers – and couldn't be happier.

WEIGHING an incredible 192kg (423lbs), morbidly obese Arya Permana is in a race to lose the weight - or risk losing his life. Family have put the 10-year-old on a brown rice crash diet to try and prevent him putting on any more weight. While his neighbours and school friends are outside playing football, Arya is stuck inside at home, barely able to move.

A single mother has no regrets about keeping her daughter despite passing on a rare debilitating illness. Dorothy Hohl was told there was a 50/50 chance that she would pass on her osteogenesis imperfecta – or brittle bones – to her daughter Savannah but decided to carry on her pregnancy. Savannah's father refused to be a part of her life and Dorothy was shunned by her family - but has never regretted the decision. The disorder comes from a defective gene and means the body does not produce enough collagen leading bones to break and fracture more easily. As a result of breaks and fractures throughout their lives both mother and daughter are wheelchair bound and stand at 4'2''.

A NINE-YEAR-OLD boy can talk for the first time despite having facial paralysis. Isaac Hughes, from Mold, Wales, is like many other children his age – he loves to play football, enjoys spending time with his friends and play fighting with his brother. He also has a great sense of humour, is mischievous and likes to laugh at people falling over. But Isaac has Moebius Syndrome - a condition which means he cannot smile or show emotion or, until now, speak. He is one of only 200 people in the UK with the rare neurological disorder, which affects the cranial nerves and causes facial paralysis.

A RARE genetic condition has caused a man's arm to swell to 44lbs (20kg) - more than the double its normal size. Bablu Pashi, 25, from Allahabad, India, suffers from gigantism, a disease that causes excessive growth of body tissue. His right arm is so large that it causes him pain when washing and means he can only walk for 10 minutes without taking a break. "The weight of my arm is 20 kilos and while washing it up it starts to hurt," Bablu said. "I am not able to walk. I walk for 10 minutes and then for 10 minutes I have to rest. These are the difficulties I face."

IDENTICAL twins who were born looking very different are finally looking similar thanks to groundbreaking surgery. Gabriel Cooper was born with Pierre Robin Syndrome, meaning his jaw did not fully form in the womb - leading to a facial disfigurement. After 19 years of looking different from his identical twin brother Hadin, Gabriel has undergone plastic surgery and had his jaw expanded - dramatically altering his face.