There are so many small things we do on the daily that we take for granted–the ability to walk, to talk, to eat and to breathe on our own. It’s something to be forever grateful for because it can be taken away at any given moment.

17-year-old Isaiah Acosta was born without a jaw and a pathway for oxygen to enter his body. That means he has never tasted food and is unable to speak. But don’t feel sorry for Isaiah because he’s not letting any of that stop him from living out his dreams.

“He’s not scared to be rejected,” his mother, Tarah, says in a video featuring Isaiah on AZ Central. “He has been offered a cosmetic jaw and turned it down.”

Isaiah communicates with his family and friends through sign language, gestures and texting on his phone. Another skill that Isaiah has acquired over the years is writing raps and making beats. He loves hip-hop and has dreams of being a rapper.

Phoenix rapper, Trap House, helped make Isaiah’s dreams come true when he served as his voice for an original song Isaiah penned called “Oxygen to Fly.” “We were talking a little earlier and I definitely agree with you that you should always rise to be able to do what you want and, you know, never let the opinions of others hold you back from achieving your goals,” Trap House tells Isaiah in the video. The duo recorded a music video for the song that made an appearance at SXSW with the video’s director, Torben Bernhard.

Isaiah’s song and video are part of a special project from Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, which means when you download the song through iTunes, Spotify or oxygentofly.org, you’re making a donation to CMN Hospitals. Isaiah serves as an ambassador for children treated at the hospital and shared on his Instagram that the song “is helping thousand and thousands of kids and teens around the world.”

Isaiah, you’re truly an inspiration to us all. Thank you for sharing your talents with the world.

Isaiah Acosta

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