Boy Born With Facial Paralysis Is Expressing Himself Through Music

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Litchfield has 6,600 residents. Amongst them is a second grader who stands out in many ways. Just ask his teacher.

"He's an excellent reader," teacher Audrey Webster said.

Just ask his friends.

"He's smart, kind, he cares for other people, and he is really willing to try new things," classmate Addison Minton said.

But there's another reason Liam stands out. As happy as he is, you wouldn't know it from his face.

Liam can't smile. He has a rare disease that affects two out of every one million people.

"The first time that I was going to take his picture, and he said, 'Mrs. Webster, just wait.' And he fixed that smile. Even though on that camera, the smile didn't appear to be as big as what you and I might do. It was bigger than what you and I might do," Webster said. "He fixed that little side, and said, 'I'm ready now.'"

When Liam was born at the Mayo Clinic, his parents quickly noticed his lack of emotion.

"I remember Liam was just a couple days old, and Kole asked the nurse, 'When's he gonna smile?'" mother Marissa Kraushaar said.

At 10 days old, he was diagnosed with Moebius syndrome, a neurological condition that was likely caused by a blood clot in the womb. It presents differently in different people.

"For him, it would be facial paralysis, can't move his eyes laterally, club feet, and his speech is probably our biggest challenge," Marissa said. "He can't really move his tongue and his lips."

Liam has a reputation for being nice to everyone, but not everybody has been nice to him.

"I've seen people make fun of him and laugh at him," Minton said. "Just because he's different doesn't mean you should treat him differently."

Liam can't blink, so his eyes roll back in his head to refresh.

"When he's watching, he's just a blank stare watching, you know, something going on," father Kole Kraushaar said. "I can how kids might take that the wrong way."

Even though he can't use his face to emote, he can use his hands to express himself.

"There is no instrument that I cannot play," Liam said.

And the ivory is where he thrives.

"I told his mom from the beginning, and I said, 'One day I see him being a great improvisational piano player and composing his own music,'" piano teacher Margaret Schlisner said.

"You can kind of tell the way that he's playing the piano of kind of what he's feeling, you know, if you really listen," Marissa said.

So even though Liam stands out, he has found his own way to live in harmony.

"Just because he looks different doesn't mean he's different, because he's just the same as us," Minton said.

There is no cure for the rare disorder. Advocates will push for more research at a national conference in Minneapolis this summer.

Liam's family wanted to share their journey in hopes we can all become less focused on how others look.