It’s easy to let a medical condition take over your life. However, beauty vlogger and zumba instructor Marimar Quiroa isn’t letting her cystic hygroma hold her back from living life to the fullest.
The 21-year-old was born with a facial tumor. She’s had surgeries to shrink the size of her face and mouth and eats through a tube in her stomach.
She’s unable to speak, but that doesn’t mean her voice isn’t heard. She has more than 113,000 subscribers on her YouTube channel, where she uploads beauty content and vlogs. She’s currently in beauty school and is a zumba instructor.
Her self-confidence shines through in her work and what she posts on social media.
In a video for Barcroft TV, Quiroa said, “…if people are staring at me, I stare right back. I refuse to look away until they stop staring.”
This is so empowering for people with or without disabilities.
Personally, I never knew others would stare at me until a friend pointed it out one day. I mean I knew people gave me odd looks, (especially when I’m with my family because I stick out like a sore thumb) but I never thought much of it. After that, I kept noticing how people would stare at me. Most times I would ignore it if I was just walking by, but sometimes I’ll just stare right back at them. Sometimes I’d smile, sometimes I’d hold a straight face until they looked away. I’d rather someone ask me a question than just stare at me for who knows how long.
For the longest time, I would either try to hide my face behind my hair or with makeup. Now, I do my makeup so that I highlight those features I didn’t appreciate when I was younger. I don’t think twice about bold makeup anymore, I just do it. If they’re going to stare, I might as well give them something to look at.
Quiroa is an inspiration to those who may not believe they can follow their dreams or do what they want to because of something that holds them back.
Don’t let anything hold you back from doing what you want to do.
Quiroa said she believes in “life without limits.” You should too.
