Her name is Maylee.

Finlee June was born in Florida with Treacher Collins syndrome, a rare genetic condition that affects the development of facial bones and tissues. Her first years included hospital stays, surgeries and medical challenges that looked very different from Maylee’s childhood.

But in family photos, another story was unfolding at the same time.

Two sisters growing up together.

Playing. Posing for pictures. Sharing ordinary childhood moments while Finlee’s family learned how to navigate hearing devices, medical appointments and the uncertainty that can come with a rare condition.

Their mother, Lorin, eventually began sharing Finlee’s journey publicly, hoping people would learn to look beyond facial differences.

In 2023, Finlee visited first graders at Newberry Elementary who had been learning about Treacher Collins and inclusion. One child who met her put into words what adults sometimes forget:

“She does ordinary stuff.”

That may be what photographs of Finlee and Maylee capture best.

As the years change their faces, clothes and height, the relationship in the pictures stays instantly recognizable.

Not a child with a rare condition standing beside her sister.

Just two sisters growing up together.

Sources: WUFT News and Mainstreet Daily News reports on Finlee June’s 2023 visit to Newberry Elementary School; family interviews published by The Sun and the New York Post; statements from mother Lorin Messer.