Petra, a woman from Serbia, shares her story of living with an extremely rare condition that makes her aging process much slower than normal people. As a result, she has always looked much younger than her actual age, leading to bullying, ridicule, and people not taking her seriously. She recounts her difficult experiences in school, where she was often mistaken for a much younger child and was treated as such. Petra eventually found friendship and love with a man named Andrew, who accepted her for who she is.
However, even as an adult, Petra faced challenges due to her appearance, including being mistaken for a minor and being treated unfairly by authorities. A viral video of an incident at the airport, where she was mistakenly identified as a kidnapped girl, led to widespread recognition and sympathy. Petra used this opportunity to spread a message of self-acceptance and against bullying, which resonated with many people.
Today, Petra is married to Andrew and has two children. Despite still facing occasional comments about not looking like a mother, she has found happiness and acceptance in her own skin.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. The narrator, Petra, is from Serbia and has a rare disease that slows down her aging process.
2. Petra looked like a 2-year-old girl when she was 6 years old and was often treated like a child.
3. Petra's parents homeschooled her until she was older due to her condition.
4. Petra was only allowed to interact with other kids during recess, where she was often bullied.
5. At 8 years old, Petra was mistaken for a lost child and taken to a police station.
6. Petra joined school in the 7th class and was constantly bullied and made fun of.
7. A girl named Jessica was particularly cruel to Petra and made fun of her appearance.
8. Petra met a boy named Josh in school, who initially befriended her but later turned out to be condescending and patronizing.
9. Petra asked Josh to the annual spring dance, but he rejected her and told her she was like a little sister to him.
10. Petra met Andrew in her second year of university, and they became friends and later started dating.
11. Andrew was supportive and understanding of Petra's condition and treated her as an equal.
12. Petra became a teaching assistant in one of her university courses and faced bullying from her students.
13. Andrew stood up for Petra and apologized for the way she was treated.
14. Petra and Andrew started dating, and he was never embarrassed to hold her hand in public.
15. Petra had an interview for an internship in another city, but it was ruined when she was mistaken for an underage girl and taken to a police station with Andrew.
16. The incident went viral on social media, and Petra lost the internship.
17. Petra posted a video on social media about her experiences with discrimination and received sympathy and support.
18. The police issued an official apology, and the company offered Petra the internship again.
19. Petra became famous and was invited to give talks on self-acceptance and against bullying.
20. Petra is now married to Andrew and has two young children.