Yates, of East Garfield Park, was born with a particularly severe case of the disorder, which rendered him unable to open his mouth more than a sliver until two rounds of intense surgery in the last year at Rush University Medical Center. Since then, the Young Magnet High School senior has eaten food for the first time after subsisting on the meal replacement drink Ensure for much of his life. He is able to breathe better and is learning to speak more clearly.