Perfect just as you are

Even if I could turn back time and change what happened on July 10th, 1987, I would not. Being born with a frontal nasal encephalocele and no bridge to my nose may have been a challenge growing up with all the major surgery I had during my first 15 years of life, but it has built me up to be a strong independent woman with a fight that I may not have had if I was born without flaws. I have always faced life with a positive mind set and the view of what can I do rather than what can I not do. Sure because of medical technology in the 80’s and 90’s I may not have all the answers as to whether the facial disfigurement caused other issues down the track such as my eyesight or other more complex medical issues, but I have faced them all head on and its only helped me build a tough determined exterior. I may have had more surgeries and have more scars than I care to count but each one just shows how determined I was growing up. I often wonder had I grown up ‘normally’, would I have had the same opportunities, learning experiences, or landed in a profession where I so heavily rely on lived experience of health and disability issues. By being born with a difference, I would like to think I view people on their character and how they are as people rather than how they look.


If you’d like to read more about encephalocele here is a web page (warning there are a few somewhat graphic photos) https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/birthdefects/encephalocele.html The photos on the website show the protrusion at the back, mine was in the front


Me time by Designs by Soco
Flaws and All by Pink Reptile Designs
Storyteller May 2020 by Just Jaimee
Bloom & Grow by The Lilypad (Gesso layered on top of purple paper - they are two separate elements)
Rituals blog hop by Kim Jensen (Bow)
Feeling Good by Little Butterfly Wings (Tag)