TEEN WITH RARE TALENT A MODEL OF INSPIRATION
School student, humanitarian, model and prospective TV host Milan Falvey is triumphing over a chromosomal disorder and uplifting those around her
SHE’S the teen queen with a resume most could only dream of.
She has a string of radio and TV appearances behind her name, including a stint on the Logies red carpet, is a model, a celebrated speaker and an award-winner for her humanitarian work, all at the age of just 16. She even has her own merchandise.
Her name is Milan Falvey, and what she also has is a chromosomal disorder so rare it hasn’t been officially named.
The Miami High School student is missing part of chromosome 18, in what is widely termed 18q deletion, a tiny genetic abnormality with far-reaching consequences.
Milan has challenges with her hearing, her growth, her speech and even her ability to feel pain – a curse that can be mistaken as a blessing.
“When Milan says she’s in pain, we know we need to take her to the hospital. By the time she feels something hurts, it’s well advanced,” says her mother, Sonia.
“Because this is such a rare disorder and presents in so many different ways, it took us years to figure out all of the effects it has on her.
“We didn’t have a proper diagnosis until she was 14 months old and then we spent four days in hospital every week for four years, testing all the ways this genetic condition presents.”
ann.wasonmoore@news.com.au
Whether it’s because of the battles she’s overcome or maybe, once again, because she was just born this way, Milan is a bit of a rock star.
And every year, Jeans for Genes Day is her moment to shine. Fortunately for Milan, her school and her home town love to watch her – with the teen taking the school stage yesterday for a livestream event and fundraiser.
Chatting to her in the leadup to the day, I’m a little bit in awe. Not just of Milan but her mum and the school community who lift her up.
To be honest, Miami High principal Sue Dalton is a champion not just of Milan but of all of her special education students, encouraging the school and the Gold Coast to not just embrace those who are different but to include them.
And with Milan as her model, she says the change in attitude has been almost immediate.
“Our job as educators is to teach our kids to be humanitarians, to reach out and include people.
“When we had Milan speak at school assembly, she talked about what it was like to be bullied in the past and she spoke about what she wants to do in life – and it was just an eye-opener for the other students.
“They stopped seeing her as different, they stopped being afraid to approach her, and they just included her and are so proud of her.”
And that’s the way we change the world, one student, one school, one city at a time.
Speaking to Milan, I can feel my own preconceptions disappear. While I would never discriminate against anyone, I’ll admit to feeling self-conscious about my own ability to communicate with someone with a disability.
Even here I’m struggling with language because I would so hate to offend. I don’t want to talk down or over, so sometimes it’s easier to just stay quiet.
But you can’t do that with Milan. She’s open and engaging. She doesn’t ask to be part of the conversation, she demands it, and she tells me about both the challenges and the benefits of being born with a genetic disease.
The worst part, she says, was being injected with growth hormones after she stopped growing at age six.
The best part, she says, is being given a privileged voice to speak for others.
“I want to be a television host,” she tells me.
“I’ve already done it a few times and I just love it. I like to be myself and show people who I am.
“It’s okay to be different, we all have something to offer.”
Just as she has been included, Milan seeks to include others – whether that’s other students at school or working with the homeless in Southport.
Mum Sonia says while she was nervous about Milan’s desire to help feed people on the streets, she was overwhelmed by her daughter’s ability to connect.
“She was just so sweet to the homeless, she complimented them on their smiles and asked their names and told them to make sure they got some salad because a healthy diet is important,” Sonia laughs. “She lives the ethos that she wants to see directed at her and other people who have differences.”
And that’s Milan’s message. Whether you’re a teen queen or a middle-aged mum, we all have our struggles, no one has an easy path. Some of us just have a diagnosis for it.
Our job as educators is to teach our kids to be humanitarians, to reach out and include people