When Cristina Vercher and Blaize Mucha welcomed their baby girl, Ayla, in December 2021, they were in for a surprise. Born with an extremely rare condition called bilateral macrostomia, Ayla’s mouth had not fully formed during pregnancy, leaving her with a unique, wide smile. While the condition initially shocked her parents, Ayla’s joyful grin has since won over millions of hearts worldwide.
Bilateral macrostomia is a rare facial cleft where the corners of the mouth don’t fuse together during development. So rare, in fact, that only 14 cases have been documented in medical literature. For Cristina and Blaize, the diagnosis came as a complete surprise, as no abnormalities had been detected during routine ultrasounds.
The young parents were understandably worried. “We were instantly concerned when we saw her,” Cristina shared. “She was so tiny, and the condition was obvious.” Doctors, too, were unprepared, taking hours to provide answers and offering little support for such a rare condition.
Despite the initial shock, Cristina and Blaize quickly fell in love with their daughter. After genetic testing confirmed that the condition was not caused by anything they had done, they embraced Ayla’s uniqueness and decided to share her story on social media.
Ayla’s TikTok account quickly went viral, amassing 6.5 million followers who adore her infectious smile. While most comments were supportive, some trolls criticized the family. Cristina responded with grace, urging kindness and acceptance. “Social media is a divided place,” she said. “You can’t control others, but you can choose to focus on the love.”
Now two years old, Ayla has reportedly undergone surgery to correct her condition, with minimal scarring. She’s also become a big sister to baby brother Sonny. Her story is a beautiful reminder to celebrate our differences and spread love in a world that often needs it most.
