Rocky Dennis was born on December 4, 1961, in California. Like all other children, he was born strong and healthy. Rusty Dennis was delighted to welcome her new sons into the world, but she had no idea that she would soon be expecting devastating news that would forever alter their lives.
Rocky had a routine tonsillectomy when he was between two and three years old, and the procedure revealed some abnormalities in his skull. When he was taken to the UCLA Medical Center for testing, the doctors realized they needed to act quickly after learning he had craniodiaphyseal dysplasia.
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His eyes were pushed to the sides of his head by abnormal calcium deposits caused by a rare disorder, and his nose was twisted.
Rusty Dennis was left stunned and distraught by what she then heard. She soon learned that her child would lose his ability to hear and see and would not be allowed to celebrate his seventh birthday.
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Rusty tried to support her son in any way she could because she didn’t want to give up on him.
I didn’t let the doctors talk him into dying,” the mother said to United Press International. He had the conviction that he could remain in place for as long as he desired. You know, what you believe works. ”.
Rusty Dennis continued by enrolling him in his school because she wanted him to live a typical childhood.
They tried to claim that his intelligence was impaired, but it wasn’t true, according to Rusty, who spoke to People. I believe they were worried that his presence in the classroom would annoy the parents of the other children, which is why they wanted to keep him out. I convinced him that he was capable of achieving anything. He constantly read, so he didn’t think of himself as blind,” Rusty recalled. “Most of the time, he was able to handle any issues or pain he experienced on a psychic level. ”.
Barbara Silva, one of Rocky’s instructors, once asked the student to take off any masks he was wearing when she entered the classroom. However, as she got closer, she saw that he had none on.
When someone expressed discomfort over his appearance, he would kind of matter-of-factly respond, “If I make you uncomfortable, you can move. Barbara remembered Rocky telling a classmate, “But I can’t change my face. It would serve as an icebreaker. By addressing the issue that was troubling you and reassuring you that everything was fine, he helped you feel more at ease. ’”.
Rocky died at the age of 17. He met nurse Anna Hamilton Phelan during one of his visits to the third hospital; she thought his life story was incredible. After his passing, she contacted Rusty to learn more about him.
She produced the screenplay for the Oscar-winning movie Mask, which is based on the life of Rocky Dennis.
