- Joseph Williams, 42, from Chicago, was born with an extremely rare condition called Otofacial syndrome
- After facing judgment all of his life, he met Vania at work
- Originally shocked by his appearance, Vania fell in love with Joseph’s sense of humour and positivity, and the couple wed after a year
- Here, Vania Hughes-Williams, 39, shares their beautiful story…
The door of the warehouse I worked at opened, and I looked up. Seeing a man walking in, I gasped.
Half his face was missing!
I rubbed my eyes, thinking I was imagining things, but his appearance remained the same.
He must’ve been in some sort of accident, I thought sympathetically, trying not to stare.
In the following days at my job as a packager, I found out his name was Joseph.
He seemed friendly enough, but I was too nervous to speak to him, in case I said the wrong thing.
But, one day, I was having trouble working one of the machines at my workstation, and he came over.
Using a type to voice converter on his phone, he asked if I needed a hand.
“If you don’t mind,” I said, smiling.
Unfortunately, he couldn’t fix it.
“It’s probably best to move to another station,” he said.
I went to grab my stuff, but he stopped me.
“Allow me,” he said, scooping it up.
What a gentleman, I thought.
We started chatting regularly after that.
Every day, Joesph, 41, would bring me a drink, and he’d make me laugh until my sides hurt. I loved his sense of humour!
We spoke about serious things, too.
He told me he wasn’t long out of a 10-year relationship.
“It was on and off,” he said.
“I’ve been in some bad relationships, too,” I told him.
I never asked Joseph about his face, but one day he brought it up.
“I was born with a condition called Otofacial syndrome,” he said “So, I was born without a jaw or chin.”
He told me that when he was two days old, he was given multiple surgeries, including a bone and skin graft, as doctors tried to construct a jaw for him, but as he grew, his body rejected it.
His birth mum then put him up for adoption and although he was taken in by a loving family, he’d dealt with judgement from others all his life.
“I’m sorry you’ve had to go through that,” I said.
Over time, I found myself becoming drawn to Joseph, but my feelings confused me.
So, when he asked me on a date to a comedy club, I didn’t go.
I wasn’t ready to be in a relationship and worried what people would think, but as much as I tried to push aside my feelings for Joseph, I couldn’t.
When he asked me out again on Valentine’s Day, I said yes. We went dancing and had so much fun.
“I’m glad I came,” I told him.
We continued dating after that.
We’d go to places neither of us had been before and do activities we’d never done.
We also went to a lot of restaurants, even though Joseph couldn’t eat anything. He could have solids but they had to be blended, as he ate through a tube in his stomach.
“I just want you to be happy,” he told me when we dined out.
In time, I introduced him to a few of my family and friends.
Most were shocked but they soon realised how happy Joseph made me.
My mum, Janice, worried I’d have to spend my life looking after him.
But once she realised Joseph was fiercely independent and wanted to look after me, she fell in love with him, just as I had.
Then, in 2020, a year into our relationship, Joseph and I started discussing marriage. It was something we both wanted.
There was no big proposal or ring. We just decided one day to go and get a marriage licence.
While we were there, the lady issuing it had a question for us.
“Do you want to get married today?” she asked.
My heart leapt in my chest. It felt wild and spontaneous, but something made us say yes!
We wouldn’t have been allowed a big do during the pandemic anyway.
So, in front of strangers and casually dressed, we said, “I do”.
We moved in together afterwards.
I’d lived with my mum before and when I told her I was married, she was shocked.
“You two are crazy,” she said.
“Maybe,” I laughed. “But we’re in love.”
Often, when we’re out in public, people will point and stare.
Sometimes they even take pictures.
We try to ignore them but occasionally Joseph will confront them and call them out on their ignorance.
We’d rather people come up and ask us questions and try to understand.
Joseph knows he looks different, but he’s still a person with a heart, feelings and a brain.
He should be treated with respect, just like anyone else.
I don’t even see his disability anymore.
Sometimes when I’m making a drink, I’ll automatically make him one and put it in front of him.
When I realise he can’t sip it, we both burst out laughing and Joseph pretends to toss it back.
His ability to stay positive is one of the many things I love about him.
When we can afford to, we’re going to renew our vows and finally have the big white wedding we’ve never had.
I want the whole fairytale, as that’s what marrying Joseph is to me.
We’ve spoken about children, but now we’re both older, we’re more drawn to the idea of adoption.
It would mean a lot to Joseph to give a child, who’s in a similar situation to him, a loving home.
It would mean the world to me too.
Whatever path we decide to take, we’ll take it together.
Our love for each other is eternal, no matter what others say.
I was attracted to Vania from the first time I saw her, but I thought she was too pretty for me. I was just happy with being around her and us being friends. But over time, feelings developed on her side, too, and she started to see that I was a good, honest man and I’d always be there for her and protect her.
Joseph, 42, says:
