Being Different by Ysabella

Being Different by Ysabella - April 2022 Scholarship Essay

Hello! My name is Ysabella Sanchez, and I have a condition called Symbrachydactyly. The word symbrachydactyly seems like an overly complicated condition, but it just means that I am missing my left hand. I am considered “different” because my condition is noticeable to anyone who looks at me. And with being different, you get a lot of questions. “What happened to your hand?” or even “Did something bad happen to you?” The kids are the most curious about it. It is something new to them, and it might even be a little scary. I want to be able to share my story with kids, and the small community I live in has given me the opportunity. I recently went to the local elementary school with permission from the principal and read a book called, “Look what Kate can do: One hand works as well as two.” by Katie and Paul Leatherwood. I feel like it opened up the kids' eyes to new ideas. One of them being that it is okay to be different. I was able to introduce the idea that every kid is different in their own way, and even though they are different, that doesn't mean that they should be treated any differently.
The biggest take away I have learned is that if you start teaching kids at a very young age that other kids are different, they become more accepting of them. I remember as a little kid, during gym time, that a kid started crying because he got scared of my hand. Maybe this situation could have been avoided if there was someone like me who was willing to speak out about their differences.