Hi my name is Romanza Marie Haney. I was born in 1971.  As you can see I was born with Treacher Collins Syndrome, which was spontaneous.  I do have 2 other siblings that are younger than me, who were born without TCS.  I am married and mother of 3 beautiful children.  2 boys, names Justin and Matthew, and a daughter, name Kayla, and no, they do not have TCS.  I am sure you are wondering, wasn't I told that I have 50/50 chance to pass my birth defect down to my kids?  Yes I was told that for many years!  But my prayers and my faith in God - that is why my babies was not born with TCS!  I had so many countless surgeries in the past, they build me a cheekbones, they tried to reconstruct my ears, they tried to open my nose.  I cannot breathe or smell through my nose because I have choanal atresia (which means my nose is blocked).  Just recently I had a surgery for the BAHA (Bone-Anchored Hearing Aid) implant; in May of 2001 I will be able to wear the BAHA and no longer will I have to wear the headband (which is a Bone-Conductive Hearing Aid).  See my ears aren't open, so that means I have no way of hearing with out a device like these.

Yes growing up with Society was hard for me, people can be cruel!  But with the help of the Good Lord as well as my two loving parents I made it!!  My mom use to tell me "Honey it doesn't matter what you look like on the outside, it only counts what is on the inside!"  I never could understand that, until recently I finally realized that my mom was right!  I used to depend on my parents for everything, I never was an independent person, another words doing things on my own, altho my parents taught me to be independent, but I was always afraid to do anything on my own!  But now my parents are up in Heaven - it's just me and the Good Lord!  And believe me even tho I can't do very much, but my trust in God, he show me I can do all things in Him, who strengthen me!

I have been judge by the "cover of a book"!  I have been discriminated so many times, just because the way I look!  People don't stop and think to get to know a person before judging!  But that's okay with me, I may not be a Miss USA or Miss Universe, but I know when I get to Heaven I will be a most beautiful person, I will be able to hear without wearing any hearing aids, and be able to smell flowers for the first time of my life!  My mother used to sing a song and the course go something like this: "This House of flesh is but a prison, the bars of bone that holds my soul. But the doors of clay will burst wide open and the Angels set my spirit free I will take my flight like a mighty Eagle, When the Holy Hills of Heaven calls me!"  See I know that this body that I am living in is just something that I have to live in, but as long I live right with God, I will get my reward when I get to Heaven!