A face to be PROUD OF
Years passed – and though I did get a job, love never worked out for me.
Collecting information for a census, I faced the public every single day.
It helped to build my confidence.
The stares and comments still punctured the wounds I’d suffered as a child, though.
‘What on earth is that thing on your face?’
Nobody saw past the birthmark to the smile and kind eyes beneath.
It’s why I never got into a long-term relationship, too scared of what men would think of me. But I was never lonely. Always with friends, my lovely mum or working, I busied myself.
In summer 2013, I was at the beach when a wasp landed on my face and stung me.
Grimacing from the pain, I quickly realised I could feel it – but I couldn’t see it.
Straining my eyes, I tried hard to focus on my stinging cheek. I couldn’t. In that moment, I knew I was losing the sight in my left eye. It was time for action. Only, I’d spent my entire life researching surgery on birthmarks. Doctors in Trinidad, where I lived, could do nothing.
Slicing into a birthmark like mine would make the skin bleed uncontrollably.
‘What about going back to the Vascular Birthmarks Foundation?’ Mum suggested.
It was a charity I’d received support from.
I found there was treatment available in America. And speaking to a specialist in New York, he agreed to treat me! After a number of MRI scans, he had a plan for surgery.
He told me he could make a difference. It was an incredible feeling, knowing that my face could change. In October 2014, I was wheeled down the corridor to the operating theatre. The aim was to de-bulk my lip and take a chunk from my face. I had five surgeries to remove the excess skin and fatty tissue, and started a number of laser treatments to lighten the colour. Now, I could see my cheek, my hearing improved and I no longer dribbled when I spoke. I felt amazing!
Over the next few years, I had numerous laser treatments.
A massive boost to my confidence, I felt unstoppable.
In 2015, I went for a job running a politician’s local-election campaign on social media, and got it!
My most recent laser treatment was in June 2018.
Luckily, doctors and the government have helped me to fund the surgery. I’m forever grateful. Without them, I’d be lost. I’m now an ambassador for the Vascular Birthmarks Foundation, too.
I want to be an inspiration to other people.
Yes, I still have the mark – but I’m proud of the face I have.
Now, I won’t allow it to hold me back, like I did for so many years.
I’m proof that beauty truly isn’t skin-deep.
A massive boost to my confidence, I felt unstoppable