In March 2003, Tami Wetmore of Jacksonville, Florida gave birth to a baby girl.
But the baby's face was missing.
"Where is she? Where's her face?" Wetmore recalls saying after the delivery, First Coast News reported.
Baby Juliana Wetmore was born with Treacher Collins syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that left her missing 40 percent of the bones in her face. She became known as "The Girl Born Without a Face."
Eleven years and 45 surgeries later, Juliana's parents want to show everyone how far their daughter has come.
"This story is much bigger than us or Juliana," her father, Thom Wetmore, told First Coast News.
Juliana can talk and communicate through sign language with her friends. She also plays the recorder and attends an elementary school in Clay County.
Juliana cannot eat on her own yet and receives nutrition through a tube. But she is able to digest some foods such as Italian Ices. Her parents are hopeful she wont need the tube one day, as well as the tracheotomy tube in her throat.
There may be one more surgery in store for Juliana- a procedure to structure her cheeks this summer. After that, she may not see a hospital for a while. Juliana told her parents she is satisfied with how she looks.
In addition to the support of her parents, Juliana has the love of her older sister Kendra and her adopted sister Danica, who also has Treacher Collins syndrome.
The Wetmore's adopted Danica from an orphanage in Ukraine after Tami came across her picture on the Internet when she Googled "Treacher Collins adoptions."
Thom and Tami have peace of mind knowing that Danica and Juliana will always be there for each other when facing life's difficulties.
"God never gives you more than you can handle," Thom told First Coast News, "You have to choose to handle it."
