Emily Jensen explains how cancer transformed her face

A teenager who saw her face transformed after surviving cancer as a child has opened up about how she learned to embrace her appearance and strengthen her self-confidence.

Emily Jensen, 14, is a YouTuber based in North Carolina. Her videos, which include make-up tutorials, ‘story time’ clips, hauls and vlogs, have earned her 463,000 subscribers.

In a recent video, Emily decided to address many questions and comments she received inquiring about her physical appearance.

 

Message: YouTuber Emily Jensen, 14, saw her face transformed after surviving cancer as a child. She has opened up about how she learned to embrace her appearance with confidence

Past: Emily was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma, a type of cancer that can affect bones, soft tissues and connective tissues, when she was a baby

Past: Emily was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma, a type of cancer that can affect bones, soft tissues and connective tissues, when she was a baby

The teenager explained that she was a baby when she was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma, a type of cancer that can affect bones, soft tissues and connective tissues.

Her parents first noticed what looked like a pimple on her face, and when it grew bigger, they took her to see doctors, who made the diagnosis.

During her treatment, Emily had surgery to get rid of the disease, which is when doctors had to remove a significant amount of tissue on the right side of her face.

‘The cancer was pretty deep in my face. It was in the tissue and my cheek and in the muscles. It was, like, a big deal,’ the teenager said in her video.

She then showed how her left cheek is ‘bigger, more prominent and more squishy’ than the right one, which has significantly less tissue in it.

As a baby, Emily said, her face wasn’t that affected by the procedure, save for a scar. But when she grew up, the impact of cancer and treatment became more visible. 

Procedure: During her treatment, Emily had surgery to get rid of the disease, which is when doctors had to remove a significant amount of tissue on the right side of her face

Procedure: During her treatment, Emily had surgery to get rid of the disease, which is when doctors had to remove a significant amount of tissue on the right side of her face

Signs: As a baby, Emily said, her face wasn't that affected by the procedure, save for a scar. But when she grew up, the impact of cancer and treatment became more visible

Signs: As a baby, Emily said, her face wasn’t that affected by the procedure, save for a scar. But when she grew up, the impact of cancer and treatment became more visible

Progress: Over the years, people have asked her whether she feels insecure, to which Emily says she has, although she has a lot more confidence now than when she was younger

Progress: Over the years, people have asked her whether she feels insecure, to which Emily says she has, although she has a lot more confidence now than when she was younger

‘My nostril doesn’t look the same as the other one. You can just see the scar and stuff. My eye, obviously this one’s a lot higher and this one’s a lot lower,’ she added, pointing to various parts of her face. 

‘Clearly I look a lot different than the “normal human”. I like to put air quotes around that because all my life I’ve told myself nobody’s normal,’ Emily said. ‘I just kid of helps cope with the whole idea of being different than everybody. Everybody is different, but obviously I stand out.’

At the age of two, Emily’s father noticed a lump in his daughter’s neck. The little girl was diagnosed with cancer again, and this time too, survived the disease.

Over the years, people have asked her whether she feels insecure due to how her face changed after the illness, to which Emily says she has, although she has a lot more confidence now than when she was younger. 

‘When I was younger it was so much worse. My confidence was so low,’ she recounted in the candid clip. 

‘I was so jealous of everybody. I had so much hatred for people and so much jealousy. Wow, it’s really sad, but I really did not like myself. I hated myself, I thought I was so ugly, I did not want to show my face at all. When people stared at me I would literally just hide myself. It’s really sad.’

Nowadays, Emily said, she still experiences some degree of insecurity.

Evolution: Nowadays, Emily said, she still experiences some degree of insecurity, but she says she has come 'so far' from how insecure she used to feel when she was younger

Evolution: Nowadays, Emily said, she still experiences some degree of insecurity, but she says she has come ‘so far’ from how insecure she used to feel when she was younger

Embracing: 'I don't really like to be normal because trying to be normal¿I feel like it makes the situation worse for myself,' Emily added

Embracing: ‘I don’t really like to be normal because trying to be normal—I feel like it makes the situation worse for myself,’ Emily added

Explaining: The teenager also clarified that the way her face looks doesn't keep her from doing what she wants, including eating, and doesn't cause her pain

Explaining: The teenager also clarified that the way her face looks doesn’t keep her from doing what she wants, including eating, and doesn’t cause her pain

‘I look different than everybody else,’ she added. ‘I’m in high school and starting to think about relationships and boys that I think are cute and I would want to date and stuff. 

‘Stuff like that has definitely affected me and my confidence in that area, because it’s like, why would this guy choose me over this extremely gorgeous girl who did not get their face surgically messed with?’

But looking back, the teenager knows she has come ‘so far’ from how insecure she used to feel when she was younger and doesn’t feel that her different appearance affects her on a daily basis. 

‘I don’t really like to be normal because trying to be normal—I feel like it makes the situation worse for myself, because why try to blend it when you clearly are different?’ Emily, who enjoys bright hair colors and is currently rocking an aqua blue, said.

She also clarified that the way her face looks doesn’t keep her from doing what she wants, including eating, and doesn’t cause her pain.

Emily said she doesn’t get bullied nowadays, although she was ‘more of a target’ when she was younger.  

‘I really don’t think about it that often,’ she added. ‘I’ve lived with it for so long, I’m so used to it. It’s my face. I’ve never seen my face different so I’m used to it. I know it’s not technically normal, but it’s weird thinking about it being any other way.’

 

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