"Growing up, I was proud of what made me different. Not everyone has a foot that was born twisted or battle scars from several surgeries. It became my super power; I felt I could change the world because I was special. But at fourteen, what made me special led to my assault. While at school two girls decided to forcibly remove my shoe and display my foot against my will. For the first time, I was ashamed of being 'not normal,' and felt worthless because of how I looked, I had no idea if I could pull myself out of the shame, numbness, and pain. It took a transforming encounter and the support of my family and friends to help me realized normal doesn't exist -- and that being different is one of the greatest gifts we can receive. As I stood on the TEDx red carpet, I shared this message: What makes us different allows us to see we were all created for a purpose, and that we can change the world around us. I call it standing beautiful. WILL YOU STAND BEAUTIFUL WITH ME?"--Back cover.