Florence Tullis was the mother of American teenager Roy L. Dennis, who was diagnosed with craniodiaphyseal dysplasia. The disease is a rare bone disorder that results in neurological issues and early death- a person can die in their early childhood or teenage years. Roy Dennis died in his teenage. Florence and her son Roy Dennis were the subject of the film Mask.
Early Life and Education
Florence Tullis was born on May 29, 1936, in Brooklyn, New York, to a father who was a truck driver. Her mother was a homemaker, and she had two siblings, sisters Bonnie and Dorothy. Florence had a normal childhood like any child, but things began changing when Tullis turned 13. She intentionally stopped going to school. As a result of this, she was kicked out of junior high school.
Now that she was out of school, Florence began abusing drugs; she started with marijuana when she was just 14 years old. She could smoke and go riding with bikers. At 15, Florence said she was not interested in school anymore, so she had to find something else she could do to earn a living. Florence began working as a hoochie coochie dancer, and this is how she began meeting various men who started showing interest in her.
Love Life
Florence began a romantic relationship at a young age; at 17, she was already married. She met truck driver Tommy Mason, with whom she decided to stay with; two years later, the couple was blessed with a son who they named Joshua. At first, they were happy, but their marriage started becoming dysfunctional; they had fights often, and Florence, the best she could do was go back to her parents. While living with her parents, Florence Tullis worked as an exhibit hawker so as to cater to her needs and those of her son.
At 25, Florence met her second husband, Roy Dennis, with whom she moved with to Covina, California. The two were happy until the birth of their son Roy “Rocky” L. Dennis. Doctors told them that their child’s eyesight would fail, among other issues. However, the two remained positive. They later divorced, but Roy Dennis remained in his son’s life.
Her Son
Florence Tullis was normal, like any child at birth. However, at two years old, an X-ray technologist did a test where he noted some irregularities in Roy L. Dennis’s skull. Following this, the boy had to go through a series of tests to confirm his diagnosis, which was later confirmed as craniodiaphyseal dysplasia. Afterward, the doctors told Florence Tullis that her son’s eyesight would fail and would experience intense headaches that would have a negative impact on his brain and could lead to his death before he turned 7.
Florence disregarded the doctors’ counsel and believed that her son was normal. However, as years went by Rocky’s face became twisted, headaches became intense, and he had to be confined to a wheelchair. The boy and his mother are the subject of the film Mask.
Death
Florence died on November 11, 2006, after an infection. Four weeks before her death, Florence had been involved in an accident that resulted in serious injuries to her legs and lungs.
