Lauren Fackelman

Lauren Fackelman

New Brunswick, New Jersey

Liz: “What have you learned from living with a stutter?”

Lauren: “I have learned that living with a stutter really shows peoples true colors. You will find people who are really patient with you and some who won't listen to you for more than 5 seconds if you get stuck on a word and laugh in your face. You learn quickly who to associate with and who not to.”

Liz: “What have you wanted to say to people who laugh at you?”

Lauren: “When people laugh at me, I want to explain to them what is going on. At times, I feel like they wouldn't care.”

Liz: “What do you actually do?”

Lauren: “Well, it depends on the person. If it is someone I know I am going to see time and time again, I will explain it to them. If it is someone on the phone (which is when it happens a lot) or checking out somewhere, I just sort of shut down and go on my way.”

Liz: “What do you think you might do differently if you didn't stutter?”

Lauren: “Pretty much everything. I either would have gone to college right after high school or not hold myself back at my job.”

Liz: “Do you think it keeps you from meeting new people?”

Lauren: “I do. At school, I just kind of do my own thing.”

Liz: “What would you say is your greatest fear?”

Lauren: “Letting my stutter hold me back from being successful”

Liz: “How do you define being successful?”

Lauren: “To have a career that I love and to have a significant other or family of my own at some point.”

Lauren also wanted to send a special message out there to teenagers:

“Going through middle/high school with a stutter is really tough. Fellow peers can be really mean. You may not think so now, but take it from me, after high school things get better. Peers held me back and it made me lack self-confidence. Try to keep your self-confidence up and don't let them knock you down!!”

The more and more people I talk to, the more I realize we're more similar than we think. 

Be content. Gain perspective. Just be happy.

Keep calm and stutter on.