Robert Trathen
Standing on the sidelines, trading banter with ease as she interviews top Super Rugby players for her 40,000 online followers, Tayla Clement is in her element.
It’s a long way from her earlier years when she was relentlessly bullied for her appearance, leaving her so severely traumatised she suffered up to 10 seizures a day and made multiple attempts to take her own life.
Tayla was born with Moebius syndrome, which affects the nerves in her face so it’s not possible for her to conventionally smile, move her eyes horizontally or raise her eyebrows. The condition is so rare, there are only one or two cases in every million.
For a long time, the condition ruled Tayla’s life as she suffered constant bullying, which she battled to hide from her parents Mike and Nicki.
Tayla, with pooch Bella, is happy to be the poster girl for diversity. “When I was growing up, I had no one to look up to.”
Some of the worst moments were after a failed major operation at 12, where surgeons attempted to transplant nerves from her legs to her face so she could smile.
“I was hanging all my hopes and dreams on this surgery, thinking, ‘If I can smile, I’m going to have friends and not be bullied any more,’ and it really wasn’t the case,” recalls the 25-year-old.
“By 2015, in my last year of high school, I was in and out of hospital with collapsing episodes and seizures. I had numerous clear CT scans and all my vitals were good, so they didn’t know what was going on with me.
“Then in 2016, I was diagnosed with extreme clinical depression with anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and dissociative attacks. My brain was on its last legs and my cortisol levels were dangerously low. The seizures were essentially my brain disassociating and shutting down.”
It’s more than most could handle, but Tayla’s resilience is nothing short of extraordinary.
Talking to the Weekly, the inspiring Aucklander shares how she decided to fight to create a meaningful future.
“Through intensive therapy, I realised I could keep going down that path, but I wasn’t sure how much longer I’d be alive if I did, or I could try my best because anywhere was better than where I was at. I chose the latter.”
Seven years later, Tayla’s remarkable list of achievements include breaking a world record as a Paralympic athletics champion, signing with international modelling agency Zebedee and growing her social media platforms Tay Talks Sports/The Girl Who Can’t Smile to reach about 40,000 followers, where she advocates for others with disabilities.
“Now I’m older, I have a new understanding that I can smile – it’s just my own smile,” she enthuses. “It’s been super-empowering and a huge confidence-builder.”
As a youngster facing multiple surgeries, Tayla never imagined her life could be this good. She’s even a model for top agency Zebedee.
Tayla’s current focus is bringing more inclusion to rugby – a game she grew up commentating in her head while watching her dad work as one of Canterbury’s top referees.
She has carved out a place for herself in the sport, sharing regular videos recapping games, interviewing some of Super Rugby’s top players and working with several teams.
“Earlier this year, I watched the first game of the Super Rugby season and couldn’t get the score out of my head. I’m not a journalist and I’ve got no credentials, but I wrote up a script, recorded and edited a recap, and posted it online. It’s been insane what has unfolded since then,” says Tayla, who still pinches herself remembering when the Chiefs rugby team began following her on social media.
Interviewing Chiefs player Naitoa Ah Kuoi.
“I’ve been able to work with some of the best teams and have put myself in a position where I’m a bridge between fans and teams. I now get comments every day asking me to interview different players.”
Her biggest goals are to influence organisations to uphold their commitment to diversity and inclusion, to become a sports presenter and one day to be on the World Rugby board continuing to fight for accessibility.
“It’s not easy,” she admits. “It’s generally a one-look space. But the whole reason I’m doing this is because when I was growing up, I had no one to look up to. I struggled with that and if I had seen someone like myself in the media, or on the sidelines, maybe I wouldn’t have felt so alone.
“There really isn’t anyone like myself here, or globally, doing what I am in rugby. It’s sort of scary not having anyone to look at who’s walked the path before me, but it’s definitely what I am supposed to be doing. I hope people like myself see me and think, ‘If she’s in this space, then I can be too.'”
HELPLINE INFORMATION
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Information about suicide prevention can be found at mentalhealth.org.nz/suicideprevention.
