Moebius syndrome American patient becomes transformative glassmaker in SMA

SAN MIGUEL de ALLENDE, Mexico — Nearly 20 years ago, Charlie Hall took his pain, rooted in childhood humiliation, and left Dallas for Mexico. He was looking for what he called a “rebirth.”

“We all deserve a second chance,” Hall said. “Just like Mexicans find a second chance in the United States, I’m living proof that Americans, especially someone like me, can find a new life in Mexico.”

A native of Dallas, Hall was born with Moebius syndrome, a rare congenital condition that left him with partial facial paralysis and arms that end at his elbows.

That hasn’t stopped him from building on an already successful mom-and-pop business specializing in fine hand-etched, hand-blown glassware and handmade candles, under the product name Rose Ann Hall Designs.

The company is named after his mother, Rose Ann, and sells in high-end home accessory retailers, from Scottsdale, Ariz., to North Texas, including La Foofaraw in Plano, Favor the Kind in Uptown and Ceylon et Cie in the Design District.Photos: How a Dallas man took his pain, became transformative glassmaker in San Miguel de Allende

Charles Hall, 62, is pictured with Suerte (Luck), one of his rescue dogs, inside his home in San Miguel de Allende, in Mexico’s Guanajuato state.

Hall has had rescue dogs most of his life. He decided to adopt Suerte after he found her abandoned by her family at his vet’s office. In 2005, Hall and family members started Exportadora Camino Norte (ECN), the exclusive Mexico producer of products for his mother’s U.S. brand Rose Ann Hall Designs, known for its handmade candles and intricately carved glass tableware and accessories that incorporate designs from across Mexico.

The company is also known for its commitment to giving fulfilling jobs to disabled people, like Hall, who was born with multiple congenital disabilities, with no arms below the elbows, numerous facial anomalies (including some paralysis) and speech issues, a condition classified as Moebius Syndrome.

Doctors said he would never live more than six months and that he would never walk or talk. Sixty-two years later, Hall has a story to tell that he hopes can resonate with everyone and help other people living with disabilities.

Blanca Gloria Salazar carves designs on glass using a Grabado wheel at Exportadora Camino Norte (ECN), located in the municipality of San Miguel de Allende, in Mexico’s Guanajuato state.(Janet Jarman / Photo by Janet Jarman for the Dallas Morning News)

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