I've Spent a Lifetime Covering This Up

This may be the hardest piece I've ever written. I've spent most of my lifetime trying to conceal something that's been written across my face for as long as I can remember. I was born just a little bit different from other children, and it wasn't until several months after my birth that the large, wine-colored birthmark settled across my right cheek and decided to stay with me for life. I was always a happy and ambitious kid, and honestly, until society let me know there was something different about me, I was none the wiser. Now, I know that I am not the only child in the world who had some aesthetic disadvantage, or something that made me different from other kids. I am also acutely aware that if it weren't for this little rosy abstract marking on my right cheek called a port-wine stain, the kids would've found another reason to call me names. The boys would've found other reasons to skip my prom invitations and forget my Valentine's Cards, and the girls may have still put me in the back of the line for kickball choices. However, in my head, that mark on my face was the reason for every rejection, and having it crushed my heart before I even knew what being crushed meant. To clarify, my mom and dad -- and extended family, for that matter -- have always made me feel beautiful. They've always loved me for the person I am, and not merely for my appearance. But if I am being wholly honest, I could always see a vague sadness in their eyes, as if they wished that I didn't ha...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news