2012 Year in Review: The Most Inspirational Stories of the Year

Once called "The World's Ugliest Woman," Lizzie Velasquez was born with a medical condition so rare that just two other people in the world are thought to have it: She weighs just 60 pounds and has no adipose tissue, and cannot create muscle, store energy, or gain weight. She inspired women the world over earlier this year when, during an interview with CNN, she said that people "should stop staring and start learning." Since then, she told Yahoo! Shine, she's been flooded with speaking requests and supportive emails. In 2013 she's hoping write her third book (her second, "Be Beautiful, Be You" came out in September), continue her work as a motivational speaker, and meet as many people as possible in 2013.

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Photo by: Sarah Powling/Lowell Sun
He's not even six months old yet, but Joey Powling Jr. is already aweing people with his bravery and resilience. Born with a condition known as Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF), little Joey underwent open-heart surgery when he was just three months old. Five days afterward, as his mom tried to snap a photo of his torso-long scar, the baby started grinning. His uncle posted the picture on Reddit with the caption: "My ... more
Photo by: Sarah Powling/Lowell Sun
He's not even six months old yet, but Joey Powling Jr. is already aweing people with his bravery and resilience. Born with a condition known as Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF), little Joey underwent open-heart surgery when he was just three months old. Five days afterward, as his mom tried to snap a photo of his torso-long scar, the baby started grinning. His uncle posted the picture on Reddit with the caption: "My three-month-old nephew just had open heart surgery. Chicks dig scars, right?" And an internet inspiration was born. (Read his story: Meet the Bravest Baby on the Internet.)
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