A great lesson has given everyone Katie Crenshaw, author of the Twelve and six blog and Charlie's mother, a beautiful girl born with a five-by-six-inch hemangioma on the right side of her face. Normally, when people see a child with something that seems abnormal in their appearance, they cannot avoid focusing on that "defect" by being the first thing they comment and even making very unpleasant comments for parents.
Have you ever put yourself in his place? Well, it is what this mother tries, that people react and normalize situations like this. He says there are people who have even offered him prayers because he will change his appearance, but she just asks to see the beautiful baby behind the hemangioma.
What is a hemangioma?
The hemangioma consists of an uncontrolled growth of the cells that form the blood vessels, it is a benign tumor which is usually located in the nose, in the mouth, in the eyes, in the anus, but never invade other tissues and do not degenerate into a possible malignant tumor. 80% of hemangiomas are cutaneous and consist of raised reddish spots on the skin. It is quite frequent in children.
They often occur at the same time of birth, and other times they form in the first months of life. They have a first phase of rapid growth in which their volume and size increase rapidly, followed by a rest period, in which the hemangioma changes very little, and an involution phase in which it begins to disappear. They require frequent control by the pediatrician, of the color and size of the stain in case he could change his appearance, but most reduce over time until disappearing completely.
AdvertisingCharlie's story
Charlie was born with a hemangioma, a birthmark that is controlled and is not a complication for the girl. It has been considered by doctors as a cosmetic lesion that will disappear over time, calculate that you will not have it when you start going to school. She takes a medication to prevent further growth in the proliferation stage and yes, they often have to control it so that it does not obstruct her vision.
Although Katie, her mother, believes that most people are kind and well-meaning, she has suffered very painful comments about your baby's appearance. Understand that it is part of human nature to meet something different, but he addresses these words:
You don't need to talk about it (her hemangioma) every time you look at her. His father, brother and I see beyond, we see the girl. Charlie is Charlie, and his mark is only part of what he is. It does not need to be constantly commented, criticized or questioned. I don't need your opinion on what you think is better or worse. It is a part of it that is not going to change at the moment, it is part of appearance. And you know what? She is unique and beautiful, and I would prefer to chat about her latest milestone, her amazing smile or the magnificent eyes she has.
It does not have a good side. We do not use that good side, nor do we retouch its hemangioma in the photos. His whole face is my sweet Charlie and it doesn't matter what his appearance looks like.
A great lesson for all those who see something bad in what is different, what we don't see as "normal" is the first thing that is obvious.
Regarding her daughter's case, Katie has launched a campaign through The Mighty in which she invites other parents to share photos and stories of their children with disabilities or illness and what they would tell others about them. . In this way, we may gradually begin to normalize our eyes towards what seems "different."
Photos | Katie Crenshaw (reproduced with mother's permission, thanks Katie!)
Via | The mighty
In Babies and more | The first days with the baby: his appearance at birth
