A Brave Heart

By Luana Mattos, Regular ContributorOctober 7, 2015

"A Brave Heart: The Lizzie Velasquez Story" is a documentary following the inspiring story of 26 year old, 58 pound Lizzie who went from cyber-bullying victim to anti-bullying activist.


image via indiatoday.intoday.in

Born with a rare syndrome that prevents her from gaining weight, she was first bullied as child in school for looking different and then later online as a teenager when she discovered a YouTube video labeling her "The world’s ugliest woman."

However, what they didn't know was that who they considered "The world’s ugliest woman” was actually "The Bravest."

The film chronicles unheard stories and details of Lizzie's physical and emotional journey up to her multi-million viewed TEDx talk and follows her pursuit from a motivational speaker to Capitol Hill as she lobbies for the First Federal Anti-Bullying Bill.

In her interviews, Lizzie always points out her mom, Rita Velasquez, as her biggest influence. This strong woman never doubted for a second what her daughter was capable of. She didn’t listen to the doctors when they said that her baby wouldn't be able to walk, talk, crawl, or do anything by herself (and how wrong they were!).

Lizzie's message encourages us to not let anyone define who we are; that’s the reason she started her YouTube channel. She wanted to show people who she truly was. She wanted them to see her and know that she has a beautiful story and has overcome all kind of adversities.

She wanted people to know that she wasn’t a bullying victim, but a hero!

I hope this documentary will get the propagation it needs to end bullying and cyber-bullying around the world, because today it's easy for people to say bad things when they have the computer screen as a shield, when they can be at home and remain anonymous. But cyber-bullying can affect real people in real life!  In fact, bullying can happen everywhere, first time director, Sarah Bordo said in an interview that she experienced bullying at work, that's why she believes everyone can relate to Lizzie's story.

I AM THAT GIRL and I AM #WithLizzie!, let’s take a stand together to end bullying and cyber-bullying. Go watch "A Brave Heart" and share this inspiring story with your friends and family.

I would like to thank Lizzie for sharing her brave heart with us. This world is a better place because of you!

Let's chat!

Have you or anyone or know ever been a victim of bullying? How did it effect you? How can we take Lizzie's message and spread it worldwide? Tell us below!

About Luana

LUANA_MATTOS_writer_bio_(1).jpgLuana is Christian girl whose faith inspires her to be the best version of herself every day. Besides her work as an administrative supervisor, she is a freelance journalist and writes a column about real life experiences, focusing on topics relevant to social projects, volunteer work, and awareness campaigns for the Brazilian website www.hollywoodeaqui.com. She also had the opportunity to interview Nicholas Sparks, Wm. Paul Young and L. J. Smith. 




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