Natalie Merlo

Natalie Merlo is an 18-year-old girl who is undergoing treatment at Seattle Children’s Hospital for a rare facial abnormality called Crouzon Syndrome. Growing up looking different from her family and peers was hard, but Natalie faces her challenges with humor and optimism, and has learned how to find confidence in herself and not dwell on the opinions of others. This summer she is undergoing a series of three surgeries in which she’s having a metal halo device screwed into her skull to slowly move the bones in the her face forward to their rightful position. Natalie recently graduated high school and is thrilled to be starting completely fresh this fall with a new facial structure, new school, new city, new friends and new life adventures!