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A man born with no jaw says people run away from him in terror – but finding love has helped him through.
Joseph Williams, who works as a welder, was born with otofacial syndrome, a rare congenital disorder which is caused by a mutated gene. It meant that he was born without the ability to speak or eat – he can only communicate through sign language or a text-to-speech-app on his phone.
As well as his visible deformity, Joseph also has issues with his hearing and sense of smell. “I get all kinds of responses," he told the Love Don't Judge podcast,"such as people running form me because they are scared, or they would scream or cry.”
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Joseph hopes to become a DJ, but his only other wish is for people to stop staring at him as if he’s a freak. He said: “I understand that I am different and that some people will think I am ugly and not accept me, but I am still a person who has a heart, feelings and a brain,” he says.. “I should be treated with respect, just as anyone else should be.”
He had never expected to find love, until he met Vania. She says she couldn’t quite believe what she was seeing when she first caught sight of him: “I first met Joe at work,” she said.
“I saw him walk into the building. It was early in the morning… I was thinking to myself ‘Am I really seeing this?’ – I didn't want to talk to him because I was curious but I didn't want to be rude and ask him what happened to him.”
But romance quickly blossomed between the two.
“I realised I had feelings for her on the second day,” Joseph says. “She came to work and when she turned the corner and saw me she had a smile on her face and I thought ‘That's the most beautiful smile I have ever seen.’ Then when I walked past her station she signed the word ‘Hi’ to me…”
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A year later they were married. Joseph has taught Vania sign language, to make it easier for them to communicate, and she has learned how to make meals that he can digest through his feeding tube – because he can’t chew or swallow, he has never tasted food.
People cruelly accused them of “faking marriage for attention” because of his condition, because they can’t kiss like a regular couple, and accuse her of cheating on him.
“Joe is very independent,” Vania explained. “he doesn't need my help with anything. The only thing I would do for Joe is help blend his food up, and sometimes when he's tired I’ll give him you know his feeding tube.
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“I had to learn patience with Joe because he has to use his talk to speech and I have to wait on his response.”
It was a whirlwind romance. “We got married June 26 2020,” Vania said. “We didn't tell anybody, we just eloped. We went to a courthouse in Indiana and we were just signing papers – we weren’t planning on getting married then and there but the lady at the courthouse said ‘Hey do you guys want to get married today?’ And I said yes.
“I wasn't even dressed our family wasn’t there… it just it just felt all wrong but it felt right at the same time.”
Joseph hopes to become a DJ, but his only other wish is for people to stop staring at him as if he’s a freak. He said: “I understand that I am different and that some people will think I am ugly and not accept me, but I am still a person who has a heart, feelings and a brain,” he says.. “I should be treated with respect, just as anyone else should be.”
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