Meetra Nahavandi grew up in Madison, Wisconsin in a loving home surrounded by her parents and older brother. From the beginning of life, she was met with multiple challenges; emergency surgery to repair myelomeningocele at birth, surgery to relieve hydrocephalus at nearly 3 months old and learning to walk at two years old with a walker. She went to school, played with her friends, and never thought of herself as being any different than her peers; until the bullying began. Feeling like an outcast, Meetra persevered years of bullying and mocking remarks from peers and was able to rise above it stronger.