My name is Mathilde Fleury, I am 27 years old and I come from Dunkirk, France.
My syndrome was detected at birth. My mother had to watch me constantly because I didn't seem to be able to care for my primary needs. This made her more protective of me, which created tensions with my brothers and sisters.
It was also difficult for me to speak. It was a huge effort and it still is today, at the age of 27. Two operations of the soft palate were necessary to lengthen my palate which was too short. The speech therapist sessions were my daily routine. Today I speak like a "normal" person but I get tired quickly and need to drink water regularly.
My Di Georges syndrome has not prevented me from living a normal life and attending a "classic" school. However, I couldn't escape the difficulties of mathematics and comprehension. It was also hard for me to focus for a whole day. Also, the looks and mockery from other children added to the challenge. My teenage years were particularly difficult, as I was harassed and I was in bad company. But I hung in there, it taught me a lesson and forged my character.
I've always been a discreet person but with age and life experiences I've gained a little more self-confidence and I can have my crazy moves by dancing, singing and not giving a damn what people think.
My mother has always supported me and pushed me as high as possible (even in the worst moments) in my studies or even in values, education and respect. These are the important thing of life, and I want to pass them on to my future children. Because yes, I'm in a relationship, we've been together for two years now and my partner and I plan to start a family. We are currently in the middle of renovations following the purchase of our home.
My school stack has been rather atypical: I started a horticultural major in high school, but that didn't work out. I then switched to a professional horticulture training, which worked out well, even though I had to work a lot. Stimulated by this success, I wanted to continue as far as possible, so I went back to high school with a business major. It took me three years to get the baccalaureate, but I got it ! Then I set my sights even higher by attending a higher education program in Management of Commercial Units, but unfortunately I didn't get my diploma. That didn't stop me from finding work, however !
Today I would like to retrain professionally and become a life assistant and why not in the future become a care assistant after a few years of working as a home help. I would like to move towards a more human and social job, I want to help others. I don't want to play with numbers all my career.
This is my testimony... I still have a lot of things to say but I think I’ve gone to the heart of the matter.