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Faceless girl redefining true beauty

Lauren Ready
USA TODAY
Juliana has been through 45 surgeries in the past 11 years.

Known around the world as "The Girl Born Without a Face," Juliana Wetmore's parents believe their daughter is "showing the world" that if you don't look inside people you're making a terrible mistake.

Juliana's story went viral within a year after she was born. Born with a genetic condition called Treacher Collins, she is missing up to 40% of the bones in her face. Over the last 11 years she has gone through 45 surgeries.

Today, 11-year-old Juliana is thriving. She attends school, plays the recorder, hangs out with her classmates and converses through sign language. Wetmore can talk as well, although it's a little hard to understand. You can hear her say "First Coast News!" to the reporter in the video above. Her parents are confident that her speech skills will improve after her tracheotomy tubes come out someday.

While Juliana's facial reconstruction surgeries haven't given her a "typical" looking face, she's expressed to her parents that she's satisfied now with how she looks. They don't want to pressure her into any more surgeries, although the family will consider an operation this summer to structure her cheeks into a more normal size.

As if Juliana and her family's dedication and courage isn't incredible enough, there's more. In 2010, after Tami went online and Googled "Treacher Collins adoptions" and found a photo of a little girl in an orphanage in Ukraine, the Wetmores added a new member to their family. They adopted Danica, the little girl in the photo. Danica and Juliana have a very special bond and the sisters have been inseparable ever since they met.

The beginning of the above video is hard to watch. But we promise, if you stick it out and watch until the end, the story of this beautiful little girl and her determined parents will inspire you and make you smile.

Here at the USA TODAY network, not only do we want to provide you with the current events of the day, but also a little dose of inspiration while you're getting your news fix. Inspiration Nation is our way of providing you with that jolt of good news to bring a smile to your day. Want to brighten your day even more? Click here for more Inspiration Nation stories.

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