Everyone has a fingerprint. Our fingerprints, more than anything else, identify us. Sadly, more and more people are identified simply by how they look. Many people are labeled without having to speak a word, and many times they are simply never even given a chance.

I work with an international organization called Best Buddies, which works with people who have intellectual and developmental disabilities. I am not proud of who I used to be before my work with Best Buddies began. I used to be someone who simply judged on the basis of looks.

What changed?

I am who I am because of my buddy, Gabbie. I am a peer buddy, which means that I have a one-on-one friendship with someone, called a "buddy," who is a part of the Best Buddies program. I thought I was going to change Gabbie’s life, but little did I know, more than anything, she was going to change mine.

To this day, Gabbie is the smallest person ever to be born, and survive, at the Medical University of South Carolina. She was born prematurely, 27 weeks early, at one pound and two ounces. Gabbie has faced many obstacles over her years, leaving her in need of a hearing aid, as well as many other noticeable challenges that require a live-in nurse. Her life, and our friendship, has been an inspiration to me, and her struggle and strength have made me realize the true meaning of never giving up. Becoming her friend through my work with Best Buddies has been one of the most meaningful experiences of my life.

More than ever, I have realized that family is not only tied by blood, but by a special connection. The people who I consider family are the people who are always there no matter what, and that is what Gabbie and I are to each other -- family. I could not imagine sitting down at a table for Thanksgiving with my family if Gabbie and her mom were not present. Gabbie is not only my best friend but my sister.

I want people to see Gabbie the way I do. Many people judge Gabbie for her disabilities, merely at a glance, never giving her the time of day. Everyone is born, and everybody dies, and the time in between, well, that's life. I was able to meet Gabbie in my time in between, which is the greatest gift of all. If more people open their hearts, demolish judgment and spread kindness, then they too will understand what it really means to live.