Doctors said Rocky Dennis wouldn’t live to see 7.
He had been born with craniodiaphyseal dysplasia, an extremely rare bone disease that caused the bones in his skull to grow abnormally and, over time, affected his vision and hearing. But Rocky didn’t follow the path they had expected for him: he lived to 16 and managed to build a life far beyond that diagnosis.
At his side was his mother, Florence “Rusty” Tullis, who refused to let the disease decide what her son could do. She fought for him to attend a mainstream school, make friends, and be treated like any other teenager.
Rocky died on October 4, 1978, but his story didn’t end there: seven years later, his life inspired Mask, the film that brought his story to millions of people. ❤️
The film changed some facts of his life, but left intact the idea that defined his story: a boy who was told how long he could live ended up showing how much he could do with that time.