Erin Smith, a 43-year-old American and Alex Barker, a 50-year-old British man, are known the world over for their sullen faces. They are known around the world as a couple incapable of smiling. That doesn’t mean that everything in their lives is bad and there is no reason for them to be happy and smile. What they both have in common is an ailment. Both are unable to smile because of a rare disease that they have had all their lives.
The disease is called Mobius syndrome. It causes paralysis of the cranial nerves and consequently the bearer of this disease cannot express any feelings on the face.Ironically, the disease brought together Alex Barker, a resident of English Coventry, and Erin Smith from North Carolina. They found each other on a social media site for people with Moebius syndrome. It took them four dates to realize they loved each other.
After a short relationship, they decided to become husband and wife. Erin recalls that she never expected to find love. After all, she has a specific ailment. But she fell in love with a man with the same problem as she does. It’s not just the disease, but the fact that they have a lot in common. She likes that Alex understands her and accepts her for who she is. She is also crazy about his British accent.
She loves interacting with her spouse. When she talks to him, she gets goosebumps from the way he talks.
Alex Barker also adds to his wife’s words that she is happy beside him even though she cannot express her feelings with emotions, he knows it and feels it. In the time they have been together, they have learned each other’s manners and are great at finding common ground. They often communicate with each other non-verbally. And they have learned to read each other’s smiles in each other’s eyes.