Transcripts For KNTV Dateline NBC 20150119

Its a controversial step. Doesnt that put the burden on the victim as opposed to the bully . Tonight, will four teens choose a drastic solution . How does it feel being pufl . Or learn to put on a brave face . The bullys going to be left in the dirt. Im lester holt, and this is dateline. Heres hoda kotb with second chances. Reporter their lives would be a complete mystery to us if we werent sometimes haunted by our own teen years. The pressures to fit in. The anguish to be understood. Its a time when we first learned we could be alone even with people all around us. Most of the people that have, like, called me names are sitting over in the corner. They would say im ugly. They would laugh behind my back. It was really bad at school. People dont think jocks get bullied or teased, but my case i guess is different. Reporter these teens say theyve been picked on, laughed at, even physically harassed. And they all blame the bullying on one thing, their looks. Either like refer to me as like some animal or like a bird with a beak or something, like making fun of me. They were just calling me, that girl with the big nose. Why dont you have a chin . Just go get a chin. Buy one at walmart or Something Like that. Reporter so in an attempt to silence their bullies and rebuild their shattered selfconfidence, theyve all decided on the same extreme course of action. And well follow every step of their controversial pursuit. One with physical risks and psychological uncertainties. I just really need help. Reporter we begin their story with this girl from south carolina, named renata. A lot of the kids just make fun of me, how i look. It just really hurts. And you cant get over it. Reporter when we first met her, she was 14 and would spend her days almost entirely at home, watching tv or playing video games. She has no friends. She keeps to herself. Shes just missing out on things that can never be replaced later on. Reporter but renatas mom michelle says it wasnt always like this. Zib her back then. What kind of a little girl was she . Very outgoing. A ton of friends. She was involved with different social activities. Contestant number 13. Reporter including beauty pageants. Renata competed in a few of them when she was 8. Now, what made you interested . I just liked dressing up and being pretty. And i liked being in front of people. Reporter but by the sixth grade, something happened to renata. She became more quiet, more and more withdrawn as months went on. I asked her what was wrong. She would say, nothings wrong, nothings wrong. Reporter renata resisted going to school, complaining that she felt ill each morning, or that she wasnt learning anything in class. After months of struggling, michelle decided to home school renata through online classes. I didnt want to see her come home from School Every Day and be unhappy. I dont want to see my child unhappy. We talked for a little while. Reporter but it took renata two more years before she finally told her mother the truth. She didnt want to go to school because some classmates had teased her about her nose. They would call her ugly. Why wouldnt you say to your mom, mom, look, these kids are starting to pick on me and its im getting depressed . Well, i thought if i told her, she would just go to the school. And then thatd make more problems. Reporter did you think maybe what theyre saying is true . Uhhuh. Reporter you were in pageants. Yeah. Reporter same face, girl. Why can a kid change your mind about who you are, do you think . I know its hard, sweetie. I know its hard. Renata was so depressed by age 13, she would hardly leave the house. When her mother made an appointment for her to see a Mental Health counselor, renata refused to go. Ill be back in a few minutes. Reporter by then, she had decided there was only one way to make things better, to change her looks through cosmetic surgery. Every time i look at myself i just think im getting more uglier. Im just afraid ill never have any friends, or anyone to be there for me because i cant really leave the house ever. I dont want people to see me. Reporter while many adults unhappy with their looks turn to cosmetic surgery, it may seem like a radical response to bullying, especially for a teen whos still growing physically and mentally. Might renata grow out of this . Because in life, we all go through phases. I hate my hair, and now its not so bad. I thought my name was weird, now im so glad i have a weird name. In the beginning i was, like, i just want to be helen. Do you wonder if this is just a phase youre going through . I dont think its just a phase. I guess in a few years from now, if i didnt change anything, i would still feel the same way, because of what the kids were saying about me. Id still feel bad about it and everything. Reporter the cost of elective surgery, however, made it an impossible solution for renata and her mom. But then they heard about another 14yearold girl who said she was bullied because of her looks and transformed her appearance through surgery donated by a Nonprofit Group called the little baby face foundation. After seeing that story on the news, renatas mom made a call. I spoke to a lady. I believe her name was diane. And she told me that i needed to submit an Application Online for renata. Hi, my name is renata. Reporter and so renatas journey would begin with this. The story in this letter. I tried convincing myself that im fine the way i am, but i just dont believe it anymore. Coming up is renata making the right choice . Are we saying that the responsibility falls on the kid whos bullied to alter themselves surgically . Lilly. She pretty much lives in her favorite princess dress. But once a week i let her play sheriff so i can wash it. 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Aleve, proven better on pain. Only pizza huts new menu gives you your cheese pizza, covered in cheese. The triplecheesecovered stuffed crust pizza. Layers of premium cheddar, aged asiago, and parmesan on world famous stuffed crust. Order a large for 11. 99. Get it now at pizzahut. Com. We did it charlie. At ts network now has the nations strongest lte signal. Lets go tell everybody. Were doing things like putting lte radios at the top of our towers. To maximize power. And give you the strong signal you deserve. Thats awesome isnt is awesome . so yall optimizied it . We optimized it people of earth. Oh boy. Americas strongest lte signal is here traumatized by bullies who made fun of her looks, 14yearold renata was becoming more isolated day by day. Her mother michelle says two years of home schooling had not made her daughter any happier. She wants to go back to school, and i want her to go back to scho. Its just that shes not going to go back until she feels better about herself. Reporter renata gave up hope that the bullies would ever change. Theyll just keep picking on kids. Reporter and that convinced her she had to change, through cosmetic surgery. If i had this operation done, it would probably change my whole life. In a good way, though. Reporter can a scalpel change how these children are feeling . I think weve seen that it makes a difference. Reporter dr. Thomas romo, a plastic surgeon, and his wife diane run the little baby face foundation, the group that renata and her mom heard about on the news. Based out the romos private practice in new york, the nonprofit treats lowincome children with facial deformities. You take a child and you change the way they look. To anybody who sees them, theyre good looking, that gives that child strength. We cant go after the bully, but we can try and empower the children. Reporter each year, hundreds of children apply to the foundation, and it could take several months to decide which kids the doctors will treat. Dateline was invited to go inside the foundation to witness the process. This is kind of the meat and potatoes of the foundation. This is why we volunteer. Reporter inspired by his overseas missions treating children with facial deformities, dr. Romo wanted to do the same in the u. S. Next case. Reporter and he recruited some of the best plastic surgeons in new york to help him. I said, how much fat do you want to suck and how many boobs do you want to do . People are going to look at you and say, wow, you treat real patients. We could move this over and then close the hole. Reporter their work never gained much notice until they decided to treat that bullied teenager, nadia ilse. Like renata, nadia said she was picked on because of her looks. Nadia asked for her protruding ears to be pinned back. To her surprise, the foundation offered to do that and more, giving her a nose job and a chin implant as well. When her makeover made the news, it sparked a wave of criticism. Are we saying that the responsibility falls on the kid whos bullied to alter themselves surgically . Reporter psychologist Vivian Diller says promoting elective surgery as a remedy for bullying sends a harmful message to kids. We really have to address the idea that there should be zero tolerance of bullying, and maybe we even have to encourage the acceptance of differences. Reporter there was one of the kids we talked to who said, look, if it stops the bullies, great, i want to do it. Because if were trying to change the bad guy, well be here forever. I suppose one way to look at this is, is there some benefit to learning how to struggle with adversity . Were not convinced that confidence is gained by changing the way you look. Reporter despite the criticism, applications to the foundation soared, many of them from other bullied teens. We could get 60 in a day. We respond to every one of them. Reporter but the romos say an applicant, even a bullied one, must have a facial deformity to be considered. Lets talk about the word deformities because that scares me a little bit. When i think deformity, i think of, like, a cleft lip, something that you look at, and you say, wow, that needs to be fixed. When you say deformity, you see Something Else. You see something thats out of sync . Theres a spectrum. So some are really profound, and some are minimal, but theyre still a facial birth abnormality. Reporter dr. Romo believes Plastic Surgery could be helpful for some bullied children. Do you feel like the bully wins . No. Reporter the bully basically bullied them into getting some kind of surgery. I dont think that thats reality. Again, they have to have a facial birth defect. And they go back and they may be the best looking kid in the school. And theyre not getting bullied anymore. Now, thats just the feedback that you would get from a patient that you operated on their heart and now theyre reporter doesnt it put the burden been on the victim as opposed to the bully . Ishat sending the wrong message . Dont think its sending the wrong message. She still sees what she sees in the mirror, and it has an effect on her selfesteem and confidence regardless of what anyone says. Reporter what do you think about that question, renata . Well, i think if they see you getting the surgery to fix something that they have teased you about, i think it would make them feel bad and maybe it would change their mind about doing it. Let me take a look at her pictures and see whats going on here. Reporter will the romos consider renatas case a facial deformity worthy of help . Diane says they follow strict criteria. We only help children with facial birth defects. And then i start to look at the parents income to make sure that they could not otherwise afford this. And then their story. Dear dr. Romo, diane and staff. I am writing this letter to you to check on the status of my file and to thank you for considering me. Reporter this letter was from a 16yearold in illinois named connor. I dont like my face because i feel like everyones like looking at me or like talking about me, and i get made fun of for it. Reporter connor was born with minor cleft lip, and the surgery to fix it left a scar. But its his nose, he says, thats made him an easy target. The teasing makes me feel very selfconscious, and which in turn makes me somewhat shy, especially around girls. I wouldnt mind dating right now. Is there someone you like . I guess. Yeah, i would ask her out after i got my nose done. I dont know if i would ask her like right after but i come from a very large family of eight, and its difficult for my parents to afford my procedures. This is my sister, paige, and my sister, jordan. Yeah, i dont really look like them that much, most people would say. Reporter his older sisters saw connor struggle more and more. When he gets the all eyes on him and the attention, i feel like thats when hes like selfconscious about it. Kind of just, dont look at me. But hes never had a date to a dance. I dont know. I feel bad for him. Reporter there are people who will say, connor youre going to grow into your looks. Have you thought about waiting and seeing . I did, but then i was like, i dont really want to wait. Reporter connors family members, including mom, kimberly, hoped the foundation would choose him if, in fact, surgery could make connor happier. But as other bullied kids applied in droves, hoping to be selected its basically a chin implant. Reporter some of their parents werent sure if surgery was the best way to help their child. I hate to see him put so much emphasis on just one feature. Thats not what makes a person a person. Coming up one teen whose mom thinks surgery for her bullied son might be a mistake. How much would his life really change . I would love to see him discover that its really nothe out wr appearance and that would make his life complete. And make room for creamy shrimp scampi linguini. Yeah, were gonna need a bigger fork. Unless i eat those spicy sriracha grilled shrimp right off the skewer. Dont judge me. Join me. But hurry, because the big shrimp festival ends soon. Er hair . Put pantene to the test. When hair loses protein it splits. Pantene helps stop split ends before they start. So your hair passes the needle test. Get hair so healthy you shine with pantene. Is changing a face the best way to change a life . People would just come up to me and just be like, why dont you have a chin . I mean, everybody should have a chin. Reporter the story is familiar, but no less painful for the kid living it. We met a student from wisconsin when he was 16. His name is donovan. There were times where people would walk around with like their heads like cocked back or something, to make it look like they dont have a chin, to mock me. High schools hell. My chin has caused me to become more reclusive. I do have a few guy friends. They kind of are dispersed. They are my friends, i think. Are they . Are they my friends . I dont know why people have to be so mean. Reporter so what was it like walking the halls . I mean, do you always look over your shoulder . It was a war zone, yeah. Whether it was being cornered or being tripped, or just punched in the shoulder or something. Reporter donovan says the bullies would always deny what happened, so the school rarely took action. Ive almost had to deactivate my facebook account because of the bullying. Like, donovan is gay. Dont talk to donovan. Reporter what did they say that pushed you to the edge . The same guy that posted on facebook, he just straight up said, donovan, why dont you go kill yourself tonight . It would be better for everybody. Reporter youve never considered anything like that. A few times i have, but ive never gotten so close to the edge where i wasnt able to return. Reporter donovan applied to little baby face, hoping the groups doctors would fix his small chin. Now surgery is dramatic. Why do you want to take such a dramatic step . I believe if its not there, people wont talk about it. Reporter it would stop. It would just be like normal. Reporter really . I know there will be, like, backlash. Like, oh, hes like the one that lost. But i think i would be the one that won because i did something about it to make it stop. Reporter donovans parents and brother supported his pursuit of surgery. A longterm goal will soon be achieved. I thought it was a sign of good things to come. Reporter but when her son wasnt around he was all cheeks, but he definitely had a chin, little protruding chin. Reporter donovans mom sue told us she had mixed feelings about the surgery. If he did have the surgery, how much would his life really change . And i would love to see him discover that its really not the outward appearances all of a sudden that would make his life complete, but that hes learned to put his best chin forward. Reporter psychologist Vivian Diller agrees. And she says parents should know that cosmetic surgery not only has physical risks, but psychological ones, too. In my practice i do hear regrets. Reporter you do . They complain that they dont look like their family anymore. I kind of miss my face. Reporter dr. Diller sees a better, longterm solution for all three of these teens. If you can find a way of enjoying how you look, you can gain the kind of confidence that will last you a lifetime. Reporter this young girl seemed to prove that point. She was born with a rare condition commonly called bpes that affects the appearance of her eyes. Though it has taken years, she says shes built the confidence to be herself. Her name . Cheyenne. Theres, like, some days where i feel im not pretty or im not normal. But other days im, like, oh okay, i dont care what people think. Reporter standing by cheyennes side, her mother, jamie. Its tough being a military family and moving so often. She goes through a lot at every new place, but shes been so strong in doing it. Reporter cheyenne went through several corrective surgeries, but didnt see any improvements when she looked in the mirror. You must have been over surgery after a while, right . Theyre not working. Why do we keep doing them . Yeah, she gave up. I actually gave up like a few years ago. I lost hope. Reporter but what she lost in hope, she gained in fortitude. And sometimes, she says, she could see herself as beautiful. I see prettiness sometimes, but then when i go back and i look at the picture, like what was i thinking . Reporter when you hear your daughter speak like that, i feel pretty and then sometimes i look back and say what was i thinking . I dont like the last part. Reporter cheyennes mom wanted her daughter to embrace who she was. But she also wondered if there was a surgeon somewhere who could make cheyennes eyes look more normal. So when she heard about the foundation, she felt conflicted about applying, not sure if she should expose cheyenne again to the risks of surgery. Or more disappointment if she wasnt chosen. You just dont want to let your child down ever. I chose not to tell cheyenne at first. Reporter secretly, jamie applied for her daughter. But when dateline asked to document their application process, she decided to talk to cheyenne about it. What do you think if you id be sad, but i would get over it. Not everyone looks the same. Yeah. But you can still have a normal life and be beautiful, and be outgoing. If you dont get picked, i would feel bad because i would feel like i brought undue stress. I did open this door. That it would have been opened unnecessarily. Reporter renatas mother also didnt want to get her daughters hopes up. You really just never know. Reporter but she also couldnt contain her own excitement that a call from the foundation might actually turn her daughters life around. Im very hopeful that theyre going to choose you. Thats all i think about. Reporter in the meantime renata finally agreed to see a Mental Health counselor, catherine brown. She told us she was against kids using elective surgery to build selfconfidence. My goal is to help her see herself as being beautiful. And i hope that she wont want the cosmetic surgery anymore, but thats still, i guess, her choice and her decision. What kind of negative things would you be thinking . I guess that im just nothing. So is that the reason youre staying in the house so much . Yeah, thats a big reason why. Reporter renatas mom hoped therapy would help this time, since there was no guarantee renata would be picked for surgery. In fact, while all these teens waited for a decision, some would take the brave step to solve their problems on their own. Coming up connor decides to confront his fears and his friends headon. Does it really bother you that people talk about your nose . Does it make you feel bad . [driver] started my camry. Picked up someone i hadnt seen in far too long. Went somewhere wed both never been. Did something weve both never done. And was reminded that the most important things in life arent things theyre people. The bold new camry. One bold choice leads to another. Toyota. Lets go places. Introducing Olive Gardens new four course Festa Italiana starting at 13. 99 enjoy an individual appetizer, salad and breadsticks, one of six entrees like new asiago tortelloni and dessert four courses start at just 13. 99 at olive garden. Hey amanda sorry to bother you, but i gotta take a sick day. Vo moms dont take sick days, moms take dayquil. 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Teach your kids to surf and post responsibly. Theyll be safer with a dedicated crossing guard. The more you know. Several months passed while these four bullied teens waited to hear back from a Plastic Surgery foundation that might just change their lives by changing their looks. But just being bullied wont get them chosen. We are not a bullying foundation, but we have kids with facial birth defects that are bullied. Shes 14 years old from alabama. Reporter cheyenne was born with the condition bpes. Here the foundations doctors debated if they could improve upon the surgeries shed had before. If they decided she couldnt help her, she wouldnt be coming to new york. Shes had reasonable work done. This is very hard to fix. Reporter but it was still unclear if renata and connors noses and donovans chin qualified them for the foundations help. Let me see his picture. Theres a fine line here with helping somebody with cosmetic surgery or a facial birth defect. Reporter as the foundation considered that question, we found donovan sitting alone in his room on prom night. Prom is going on,nd im here. I do not care. Ive heard it be called a rite of passage for some people. To some its just another night. Reporter connor, too, had never been to a High School Dance with a girl. They wouldnt like me because the way i look or like how large my nose is. Reporter but it wasnt just his insecurities around girls that made him want surgery. Connors own buddies were part of the problem. They all make fun of each other, but reporter right. But you feel like you get the lions share. Yeah. Reporter though he still wanted surgery, connor bravely decided to tackle his problems headon by letting his friends know how much the teasing affected him. Does it like bother like bother you when people like talk about like your nose or no . Well, kind of, because like some people ink theyre talking about me. What name do you think gets to you the most . I dont know. Theres a few. The one that you guys made up was toucan. Who was that, mike . Do you like kind of take it as a joke . Because we really dont mean to offend. Well, now well, from you guys, like, im kind of all right with it. Because everyone does it. But then like theres other people im not friends with who say it. How long have you been like getting picked on for . Has it been like since you were a little kid . Seventh or eighth grade kind of. Geez. Wow, thats bad. Reporter it wathe first time connor had ever opened up to his friends this way. I feel bad when i make fun of connor because its like something he cant help. I dont know if he takes it seriously or not. I never really asked him. You know . We never really asked him. Does it make you feel bad . Well, yeah. When we call you toucan and all that. Anything you want to say to us . Not really. You want us to stop . Reporter they asked you, does it bother you . Yeah. Reporter and what did you feel like when they asked you that question . It was weird because like they never asked me anything like that before. Reporter would you feel better if they didnt call you the names they call you . Yeah, id feel a little better, i guess. After you opened to us like this, well take it easy on you. Reporter could this breakthrough with his friends give connor the confidence hed been looking for, all without surgery . As she waited for the foundations call, cheyenne opened up about her insecurities as well, here with her best friend savannah. But savannah was expressing doubts about the surgery. Do you feel like you need to do it . The surgery . Yeah. No. You dont feel like you need to but you want to . Yeah. Why though . I dont want to be different. You dont want to be different . I do, but i dont. Reporter then, cheyenne asked a question, one that suddenly revealed the heart of the matter. How does it feel being beautiful . Why are you asking me that . Just answer it. But im not that pretty. Yes, you are. No, im not. Yes, you are no, im not. Seriously. You seriously want me to answer that . Yes. Its not great. Why . You still, like people find every reason to hate on you. Reporter it was the first time cheyenne heard this perspective from a friend, tha looks dont always equal happiness. Bullies are irrational. They dont just pick on the funnylooking kid. They pick on the kid they feel like is weak. And i dont know if that makes you strong because you have your nose fixed. I think you may still sometimes be that same insecure kid still. Part of that dynamic of a bullying and the child being bullied is also the acquiescence of the child thats being bullied. If you selfempower that child and they dont look at themselves that way, the loss of selfesteem, the anxiety, the depression, the suicidal tendencies. If you can roll that back, then the bullets that are coming in from the bully may not have that same effect on that child. Reporter while dr. Romo believes that Plastic Surgery may not be for every child, he cautions against judging parents who feel this is the right solution. Dont be pc and say that somebody elses child shouldnt have the option of doing that. Reporter while renata waited for a decision, she continued to go to Mental Health counseling. But the counselor, who was against renata having surgery, didnt see any progress. In fact, she saw a girl so walled up in her selfisolation that it was the counselor who changed her mind about surgery. Knowing renata, i do think that it would help her to feel better about herself much, much sooner than just having counseling. Shes maki herself antisocial. Im closing the door behind me. Im in the home. I dont want to be a part of that anymore. So thats why i would say her situation is more extreme than some other situations. Reporter will the people in new york evaluating renatas case agree . Hello . Hello, renata . 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Cascade platinum powers through your toughest messes better than the competition the first time. Cascade. Now thats clean. The bold nissan rogue, with intuitive allwheel drive. Because winter needs a hero. Now save up to 1,000 when you finance the 2015 nissan rogue. The foundation that treats children with facial deformities finished evaluating these four cases. Hello . Hello, renata . Yeah . My name is diane, and im with the little baby face foundation. Reporter renata had been waiting anxiously for months, thinking a straighter, smaller nose would silence her bullies and improve her selfconfidence. I am looking at your beautiful picture that you sent us and i just read the beautiful letter that you wrote. I want to invite you to come to new york to see if we could help you. Are you serious . Very serious. Oh, my god. Thank you so much. You made me so happy. Im glad youre happy. I can see you smiling right through the phone. That was great that was great. It feels great. Shes going to come out great, too. I am so happy, oh my gosh i cant believe were going. I cant believe we got chosen. Thats awesome. Reporter next, connor. His friends promised to stop making fun of his nose, but will the foundation offer to fix it . I have a doctor whos going to work on your cleft lip. And i have another doctor, thomas romo, who is going to do your nose. Thank you. You are welcome. All right, let me talk to your mom so i can explain all this. Children that are born with cleft lip, they also have a cleft lip nose deformity, and they look like connor. So connors nose, it wasnt just so much it was big but his septum was totally obstructing his left airway. And the arch of his nose was totally undersupported. What are you thinking about . New york really, and how ill look after surgery and everything. I was wondering what he was thinking because he wasnt saying much. But im sure he was pretty happy. Congrats, con. Reporter then, donovans turn. He asked the foundation for a more prominent chin, but mom thinks he should keep his head up instead. How are you . Pretty good, pretty good. I know that you were bullied because of your chin, but i want to tell you something. When i look at this application, i see this handsome, 16yearold guy, and from the pictures that you sent me, it really just looks like you need a very minor cosmetic procedure. And it really doesnt fall under our Mission Statement for the baby face foundation. Okay. Its a pretty big disappointment. I guess i can live with it. Reporter what was it about him that made you not select him . I really felt that his case was cosmetic. And that other children had severe issues than his. Reporter donovans mom hopes her son will bounce back. You have to do a lot of inner soul searching to find that part of you that gives you strength. Reporter and finally, cheyenne. Cheyenne . Reporter shes tried to correct her eyes through surgeries before. Though shes learned to accept the way she looks, her mom decided to give it one more try. This is a difficult case. Im still looking at that beautiful face, but im just trying to figure out how are doctors could take care of you. Reporter diane told cheyenne her eyes would not be easy to fix. But she also told her to pack her bags. I just explained to her weve been trying to figure out what we could do to help. That the only way that well know is to invite you to new york for a couple of days, and then make a plan. Okay. Reporter opening a closed door can sometimes be overwhelming. That would be wonderful. Dont cry, because if you cry i cry. If i cry, my mascara goes. Forget it. Were done. Okay. Thank you so much. This is the best part about my job, making this phone call. Reporter how do you feel when your mom gets emotional about stuff . I dont like it. Reporter you dont . No. Reporter how come . Because i mean theres no reason. Reporter welcome to new york. Renata went directly to her presurgery appointment with dr. Romo. And what were going to do is were going to straighten that septum out, and were going to take this little thing down and make this whole thing smaller. Okay . Thank you so much. Renata, actually, once you pinned her hair back, had a diagnosis, whats called a hemifacial microsomia. Reporter and what is that . Half the face is smaller than the other side of her face. And thats why this nose is leaning to the left. Reporter is that an unusual thing . Its actually not that unusual. It just doesnt get treated that often. We make a little poke hole here. Reporter then, he unveiled his treatment plan. So itll balance her face. Reporter and it involved more than just a nose job. He recommended a new chin as well. Its just something ive been thinking about, something we may want to do. Reporter wow were pointing out Something Else that she wasnt even worried about. When someone comes in to me about a nose problem, i pin their hair up because i want to look at the whole face. The nose, the eyes, the lips, the jaw bone, all have an interrelation. The chin. Do you understand what he was talking about . Yeah, i understood. What are you thinking about that . Its a big decision. Its a huge decision. I dont know what would be better. You dont have to. If you dont want to change anything else, you dont have to. Reporter if you looked at me, and you were to say to me, hoda, that chin. And i might say, i think im fine with my chin. I promise you, dr. Romo, every time i look in the mirror for the next five years, id be looking at my chin because a doctor says theres an issue with it. Shes a vulnerable kid. Shes going to do whatever you say, period. Its the doctors responsibility to point those out. I know when theyre going to have a more successful result. Reporter cheyenne spent a full day seeing specialists. At the end of it, dr. Romo reported what sounded like disappointing news. Your eyelids could physically be brought up higher. The problem is you wouldnt be able to close them. We couldnt make her eyes actually larger. We couldnt pull her eyelids too tight because she had to close them. Reporter but dr. Romo still saw a surgical solution. Instead of operating on cheyennes eyes, dr. Romo recommended a nose job and pinning her ears. One of the ways to make the eyes look bigger is to make the nose smaller and deflect the look of where the ears are. And just setting this back. Reporter it seems like its additional surgery and work that will change the way your daughter looks. First of all, im concerned about any surgery. Reporter yeah. Thats concerning. I leave the ultimate decision up to cheyenne because its her body. Reporter mmhmm. What do you feel . I know im beautiful. But you know, some things you got to change to make yourself even more happy. Reporter during connors evaluation, dr. Romo also recommended a new chin to go with a new nose. Connor and his mom agreed. See how the chin, bringing that out just a bit, it opens the face up. Reporter renata decided to take dr. Romos advice, too. Well, ive decided that im going to get the nose and the chin done. I thought id just trust him because he knows what hes doing. I cant believe we made it here. I didnt think wed come this far. This is a big moment. Ill see you later. I love you, mom. Reporter as they headed into surgery, all three imagined sweet dreams. Not for when they close their eyes, but for when they open them again. Coming up the bandages come off. How life has changed for the three who had the surgery and this just is my prom dress. And the one who didnt. Nourishment. Powerful and delicious. Tomorrow, serve your body well. The sunll come out tomorrow kelloggs® special k red berries. See you at breakfast™. The schelp then the spill. Now the scrub and the second guess. Finally, the rewash. 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Reporter can the confidence and selfesteem of children be lifted the way a face can . Dr. Romo says hes not trying to give these kids complete makeovers, but believes small surgical corrections make a big difference. The changes are subtle in the eye of the beholder. The children dont consider them so subtle. Reporter when we first met renata, she was so selfconscious about her looks that she rarely left her house. I dont go to regular school because a lot of the kids just make fun of me, how i look. Reporter now she was about to see her new nose and chin without bandages for the first time. Wow. Isnt that great . Yeah. Now its swollen. Its going to go down. You look gorgeous. So straight. You look gorgeous, renata. I really love it. It could not be more perfect. What a beautiful woman. It just looks really amazing, and i can see the bump is gone. And it just looks perfect to me. She has not been this happy in years, and i just couldnt wish for a better result. Parents correct childrens teeth with braces to make their teeth straighter. Theyre still the same kid on the inside, but unfortunately, people are judged on how they look. And i think thats what happened to my daughter. Reporter when we visited renata a few months after her surgery, things had changed dramatically. Ive been going off the computer a lot more, and ive been going out a lot more. Renata is much more you know willing to talk to people that she sees and shes just happier in general. Yes, my daughters here to see the guidance counselor. New enrollment . Yeah. Reporter after nearly three years of homeschooling, renata went back to the classroom, enrolling in her local high school. A lot of people say that high school is the best time of your life, so i wanted to experience that, too. Oh awesome. So youre excited. Reporter now in her sophomore year, shes also making new friends. I feel happy, and i feel confident. And i feel like i dont have to hide myself anymore. Reporter and now, connor. He wanted a smaller nose, hoping it would make him less selfconscious around girls. Think like it affects, like how i talk with girls because i feel they wouldnt like me because of my nose or my appearance. Reporter so, he changed his appearance with a new nose and a chin implant. Its been about two months since i had surgery, and im doing really good. No one really said there was a huge difference. They said i look a little different. Reporter but connor says he definitely felt different after the surgery. And he saw a difference among his friends, too. Though that started happening even before he left for new york. Yeah, they have stopped giving me a hard time. Probably said a couple things, but not like as much as they did before. Reporter and then, something he once thought would never happen. He went to his first school dance with his first real date. Cheyennes case was the most complicated. Her eyelids couldnt be pulled any higher. So doctors made her nose smaller and pinned back her ears, all part of the illusion, they hoped, to make her eyes appear larger. I love my nose. It was a potato nose, as dr. Romo called it. This dress is my prom dress. I like the color of it, the style. Yeah, i like how my sister did my makeup. The change that i see right now is kind of what i imagined, like i imagined my eyes a little bit wider, but i like it the way it is. Reporter the friend most eager to see cheyenne again was savannah. She never thought cheyenne needed surgery, but she liked the results. She does look different, but not all that much, which is what i was worried about in the first place. She was beautiful the way she was, and she still is. And the only thing that came out of her going to new york was me missing her. Reporter cheyenne says she is, finally, at peace. I think im done because i like the way i look now. You know if anyone has a problem, but i dont care. Its going to help them go to college. Its going to help them get a job. Its going to help them be social when they otherwise wouldnt. The bullys going to be left in the dirt. Reporter and donovan . He was disappointed when he wasnt chosen. But just a few months after his let down, he told us hed had a profound change, too. He says not being picked for surgery turned out to be a blessing. Im feeling good about it now. I dont have to have surgery after all. And its just its kind of a weight off my shoulders. Reporter in fact, he says, keeping his weaker chin gave him a stronger voice. At school, he started a campaign to raise awareness about bullying, passing out wristbands and collecting donations for a local antibullying charity. Hes already felt the impact on a personal level. A lot of people have really opened up to me and apologized for the years. Reporter and since then, hes been on a few dates and even joined his first rock band. I learned that there is actually people out there who care for me and like me for who i am. Reporter mom sue says she couldnt be more proud of her son and his change of heart. Hes grown stronger, more confident. And i think thats whats going to take him through this world and make him the person, the best person he can be. Reporter all the teens we met are happy with the paths they took, though it may take years before they know the lasting effect of having surgery or not. But if theres one thing they can count on today, their teen years, with all that pressure and anguish, will not last forever. Thats all for now. Im lester holt. Thanks for joining us