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Your Stories from the visible difference community

Your Stories

You can share your story here.

Phil’s Visible Difference Story

22 Jan 2020

Phil was born with a birthmark that covers three quarters of his face and parts of his body. Phil is speaking out so more people join us to stop #VisibleHate.

“Then I had an interview at a company that fitted satellite dishes and TV aerials, where the man said ‘I can’t employ you. I couldn’t send you out to a customer with a face like that’. I found that really upsetting.”

 

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Emma’s Visible Difference Story

22 Jan 2020

Emma was born with Char syndrome which affects the structure of the face as well as flattening of the nose. She’s also very visually impaired and is sharing her story so people understand #VisibleHate has to end.

People would shout “have you seen her” and their whole group would laugh. Some men while drunk would be rude and demeaning, they would openly discuss whether they would sleep with me or not.

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Charlie’s Visible Difference Story

07 Jan 2020

Charlie is 8 years old and was in a car crash which resulted in serious facial scarring. He’s raised thousands of pounds for Changing Faces and was recently awarded a young heroes medal for his fundraising efforts.

He has cried many tears because of his appearance, which as his mother has broken my heart. Now, his scars are less noticeable and the reactions from others are less frequent.

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Sheila’s Visible Difference Story

10 Dec 2019

Sheila is from Merseyside, has Bell’s palsy which affects her smile and has undergone chemotherapy for cancer which means she has lost her hair.

I still get people who ask ‘Why do you look like that?’ or ‘Have you had a stroke?’ but I am so much stronger now, and I usually have an answer for them.

 

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Hannah’s Visible Difference Story

17 Oct 2019

Hannah is from Birmingham, and was born with a complex condition called Craniosynostosis which affects her skull, jaw, fingers, toes and speech.

I was very badly bullied at school and college due to my visible difference. I was called so many names every single day. If you’re reading this and recognise some of the experiences I’ve had, remember you are a wonderful person, you are unique, and being unique is awesome!

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Lottie’s Visible Difference Story

17 Oct 2019

Lottie is 13 years old and from Tunbridge Wells. She has a rare bone disease called Fibrous Dysplasia which pushes one of her eyes lower than the other.

I just want to keep acting and showing people just because you look different it shouldn’t ever stop you from going for what you want in life.

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Georgie’s Visible Difference Story

17 Oct 2019

Georgie is 25 and from Oxford. She has Klippel Trenaunay Syndrome, which means her right leg and foot are swollen and noticeably bigger.

It’s really difficult to know when to tell a future or current employer about my illness. In one place where I worked, they wouldn’t buy me a stool  I needed because it wasn’t in their office supplies catalogue.

 

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Jude’s Visible Difference Story

09 Oct 2019

Jude is 26, from Glasgow and has psoriasis. She is an active campaigner for Changing Faces in Scotland.

I became very insecure, constantly felt like everyone was looking at me, paranoid. All this resulted in my depression and anxiety getting much worse.

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Mikaela’s Visible Difference Story

20 Aug 2019

Mikaela is 28 and has a a genetic disorder called Crouzon syndrome which affects the shape of the head and face.

Currently disabled people are not cast in roles on stage and screen at all. They are not even cast as disabled people, and instead able-bodied actors are used in their place.

 

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