Sometimes, if we know how to look, gray rocks can become gold nuggets and a green toad can change into a prince or princess.

When Valeria was born, we were all very worried about her. Her birth had been difficult. Would she live? Nothing was sure. Thankfully, in a few days, everything worked out. Well, not everything. She was nearly blind.

From her first breath, I felt very close to Valeria. I wanted her to have a good life because I know what it’s like to have to struggle from such a young age. I was born into a very poor family.

The doctors weren’t able to do anything for Valeria, except give her glasses.

So, even as a small child, she had eyeglasses perched on her little nose. The thick lenses looked like the bottoms of soda bottles.

The older she got, the more unhappy she became.

When she started school, it became worse. Everyone made fun of her. Her classmates said that she looked like a toad with big eyes. One day, someone even wrote on a wall of the school in big letters,
’Valeria=Toad-Eyes.’