TIKTOK dance sensation Aleazia is a local celebrity in his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky - but his journey to this point has been challenging from day one. He was born with a super rare condition called cystic hygroma, which caused large fluid-filled cysts to form on his face. Doctors performed "life-saving surgery" on Aleazia as a newborn baby, as the cysts were blocking his airway, preventing him from breathing. Since then, he has lived with a trach, which acts as "another airway for safety reasons" - something that has proven crucial to Aleazia, as he suffers from regular swelling of his neck and face. The swelling occurs "every two months" on average and causes Aleazia such "agony" that he has to stay in hospital for pain treatment. Growing up, Aleazia's condition meant he faced severe bullying - with other children in the neighbourhood calling him "Mr Potato Head" and "Quagmire." His parents were his rocks through it all and gave him the confidence to ignore the name-calling, but when they passed away in 2019 and 2020 respectively, Aleazia remembers feeling "alone." Despite everything he has been through, as well as continued abuse online, Aleazia has been supported by friends and family and found escapism in his love of dance. For the past 11 years, he has been performing to passers-by on the Big Four Bridge in Louisville and made a name for himself locally and on TikTok. But Aleazia does not do it for the fame and fortune - as he told truly: "When I'm dancing I forget all my troubles - I can be myself, I feel free."
Follow Aleazia:
https://www.tiktok.com/@aleazia_world
https://www.instagram.com/the_real_aleazia
Videographer: Nate Spicer
Producers: Kim Nguyen, Tom Buckman, Courtney Buabeng
Editor: Alex Saunders
Follow Aleazia:
https://www.tiktok.com/@aleazia_world
https://www.instagram.com/the_real_aleazia
Videographer: Nate Spicer
Producers: Kim Nguyen, Tom Buckman, Courtney Buabeng
Editor: Alex Saunders
Category
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FunTranscript
00:00 My facial tumor won't stop me from dancing.
00:04 I was a rare condition called fluid phases on my face.
00:08 My face will, every two months, decay and acne.
00:12 Morning after you'll call me names.
00:14 The name of the kids that you would call me.
00:17 Dickface, Mr. Potato Head, Quiet Mother.
00:21 When I'm dancing, I forget all my trouble. I be myself. I feel free.
00:27 [Music]
00:33 My face, I had it since three years old.
00:37 The doctor always told me and my parents that it was another airway for safety reasons.
00:47 They can take my neck or my face, throw hair, and I cannot breathe out of my nose or mouth.
00:54 I had a peanut cream so it won't get infected.
00:58 My mother taught me how to use it so I'm a pro at it.
01:02 I was a sickly heart woman. A rare condition called fluid phases on my face.
01:08 It really, I only know two other people who has it.
01:12 When I was born, the cyst stopped me from breathing.
01:16 The doctor had to perform life-saving surgery.
01:19 They told me that I won't see adulthood.
01:22 The last time I was in the hospital for four days,
01:26 I could wish that I could go every one whole year without pain, fright, and shakiness.
01:33 That's not how it works.
01:35 I do go to the hospital every other two months for facial pain and swelling in my face.
01:43 The pain is definitely a 10.
01:48 The pain is so bad that they got to get me steroids.
01:53 Did your doctor try to remove your cysts or is that just not possible?
01:57 They tried to do surgery and they told my mom that one of three things would happen.
02:05 Either I can't see, I won't be able to smile again, or I won't survive the surgery.
02:14 And she said no, I'm not going to let that happen.
02:17 She supported me through everything.
02:20 Growing up, living in here, well, no school, no friends, no activities, no hobbies.
02:34 The neighborhood kids, they used to call me Big Face, Mr. Potato Head, Quiet Mother, you know, so really, purple roots.
02:45 My mother, she taught me a lot.
02:50 Anytime that I got picked on or got ripped at, she always told me that son, you are normal and you can get through this.
03:00 My mom passed away in 2019.
03:04 That then was a rough time for me.
03:08 I felt like my whole world turned upside down.
03:11 And then 2020, my dad, when he died, I felt alone.
03:18 My mother, she was the one who took care of everything.
03:23 My doctor appointments, insurance, like anything in medical life.
03:29 So after she died, I was just really at fear to death.
03:34 Like, how am I going to make it in the future without your mother by my side?
03:41 Hey!
03:46 Hey, how are you?
03:47 Good, how are you?
03:48 I'm fine.
03:49 Hey, come on in.
03:50 Yeah, thanks.
03:51 Ashanti is a dear friend of mine from back in my childhood days.
03:58 We went to the same middle school together.
04:01 I first seen Alisaie on the news and I was like, oh my God, he's so different, he's unique.
04:06 I really want to get a chance to be his friend.
04:08 And then high school, he came to my school.
04:11 I was by myself in the living room, she was alone.
04:15 She came up to me and said, "I need someone to talk to, I need someone to sit."
04:21 That's the idea, actually.
04:22 And we kept quick like that.
04:25 So how has everything been going?
04:27 Everything is good. The only thing that, you know, bothers me a little bit is that I still get some hateful, mean comments on social media.
04:37 I started my TikTok because I wanted to try something new.
04:43 I was like, oh yeah, this is fun, I'm going to keep doing it.
04:46 And if people want to see more, I will do even more.
04:50 Sometimes I do get negative comments.
04:54 At first, I was a little bit mad, but I was more hurt because, you know, in my mind, I was like, I'm still out here being myself.
05:06 I don't know you, I don't know what to tell you.
05:09 You look like Mr. Potato Head.
05:11 You look like one of those Attack on Titans.
05:14 How do you feel about these comments? Like, how do they make you feel?
05:18 Honestly, hurtful, really.
05:22 If anybody knows me personally, they would know what kind of person I am.
05:26 I think Alisaie deals with these comments pretty good.
05:30 He never engages in the comments or argues back.
05:33 He's very confident and a lot more open with who he is.
05:38 I think Discover and Dance have been a huge part of that.
05:44 I discovered the idea for a dance here when I was 6 years old.
05:49 I won the dance contest and for 15 years later, here I am, still doing it.
05:56 I started on the dance floor with a little orchestra fee.
06:00 In the summer of 2013, I had CDs and boombox.
06:06 I was dancing and I made more than I wanted.
06:11 And then people were like, "You should keep on doing it."
06:15 When I first started on the grid, I didn't feel so confident for a while.
06:20 But then I kind of got used to it.
06:23 I worry all the time, especially since he's out in public.
06:26 For as many different people and mindsets can be very dangerous.
06:31 People react to me, they walk up to me, talk to me.
06:35 After selfies, you have the other side which is not so good.
06:43 But a lot of times, I put on a race show that people will never forget.
06:50 When I dance, I feel free.
07:01 I feel like nothing can stop me.
07:05 No one can do anything to me. I can just be myself.
07:12 I feel amazing. I had a ball.
07:17 I'm okay out here. I'm okay.
07:20 I'm really proud of him today.
07:22 He always fools out no matter what crowd it is.
07:25 It can be nobody there and he'll still push 100% with all of his performances.
07:30 He doesn't let his disability or anything if that matters stop him or affect him
07:35 from what he wants to do, what he wants to be and his goals in life.
07:39 It's important to me and to myself out here
07:43 because I want to show the world what I can do outside of my medical condition.
07:51 The hospital visits, doctors, whoever.
07:54 I'm not feeling like nothing stopped me from living my dream and living my life.
07:59 How proud do you think your parents would be?
08:02 Oh man, my mother and father would be very, very proud of me.
08:08 They would probably cry because I'm not there with my young boy.
08:12 But they would be very happy for anything that I'm doing.
08:19 [Music]
08:27 [Music]