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: Reddit
After someone snapped a photo of her and posted it online, Ohio State University student Balpreet Kaur was ridiculed for following her Sikh faith and not removing her facial hair. But instead of lashing out, she politely posted a reply -- and turned a cyber bullying situation into a inspiring example of tolerance, support, and inspiration. "I'm not embarrassed or even humiliated by the attention [negative and positive] that this ... more
Photo by: Reddit
After someone snapped a photo of her and posted it online, Ohio State University student Balpreet Kaur was ridiculed for following her Sikh faith and not removing her facial hair. But instead of lashing out, she politely posted a reply -- and turned a cyber bullying situation into a inspiring example of tolerance, support, and inspiration. "I'm not embarrassed or even humiliated by the attention [negative and positive] that this picture is getting, because it's who I am," she explained. "My attitude and thoughts and actions have more value in them than my body… by not focusing on the physical beauty, I have time to cultivate those inner virtues and hopefully, focus my life on creating change and progress for this world in any way I can." (Read her story: Sikh Woman Turns Cyber Bullying into Inspiration.)
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