Clara's journey: 9-year-old with deformed face navigates the world

What would you do if you knew, before your child was born, that she wouldn't look like everyone else? Clara Beatty's parents knew their daughter would be born with facial deformities after a prenatal screening showed she had a genetic mutation called Treacher Collins syndrome. But they knew that she was likely to be a normal kid on the inside.

What they didn't know is just how well Clara would navigate the world. Janet Beatty, Clara's mother, is astounded at how well her daughter lives, the Associated Press reports. "Even when she was little, you could look at her and people would say there's an old soul in there," she said. "She just had these big eyes and you could see her taking everything in."

Here's a Beatty family photo, taken on Feb. 22, 2012. From left to right: Janet Beatty (Clara's mother), Clara, older siblings Gretchen and Henry, and father Eric Beatty.

Keep clicking to see more photos and to learn more about Clara's story...

Credit: AP