Tessa, like many children her age, takes pleasure in a variety of playful activities, including dancing, going on walks in the park, playing games, and even horseback riding.
Tessa is the most typical of the young ladies, but she was born with a very unusual birth defect: she was not given a nose.
Aplasia, or the congenital absence of a body part or organ, in this case the nose, was identified shortly after delivery. Over 100 people have contracted this sickness throughout the world.
Despite not being able to smell and having no sinuses, Tessa may still cough, sniffle, and get a cold. The youngster is quite optimistic, despite the many challenges she has had since birth.
The lack of a nose on their daughter quickly stopped being a point of differentiation between her and other children once the parents got over their first shock.
After seeing their daughter’s abnormal facial profile on an ultrasound, the parents accepted that she would be born with the condition.
Together with her aplasia, the baby was born with heart and eye defects. She underwent surgery to remove a cataract from her left eye when she was 11 months old, but the procedure was complicated enough that she still has vision problems in that eye.
Tessa also had a tracheostomy performed so that she could breathe while she ate and slept.
Tessa will have many operations performed on her. It is recommended that she have false noses when she is older. Adolescents should spend the years leading up to their adult years crafting the ultimate prosthesis.
Tessa is a resilient young woman who, despite her difficult upbringing, matures into a kind, curious, and outgoing person. Tessa is reassured by her parents and older siblings that she is just like everyone else.
