Since I was just 2 years old when I suffered serious burns, I truly don’t know what happened to me or why it occurred. It has all been done via spoken communication. My mother’s side of the family has their version of events, while my father’s side of the family has theirs; thus, I will never truly know for sure.
On Memorial Day, my mother drove me to her own mother’s home so that I could spend the holiday with her. It seems that I was left alone in the kitchen for a period of time, and at that time I managed to drag a hot pot of butter right over my face, entirely avoiding my skull and scalp in the process. I was transported to the hospital, and when I arrived there, I slipped into a coma. While I was there, my head swelled to twice its normal size, and it seemed that I had lost my vision.
My family was informed, “The accident was so severe, there is no way she will make it through it.” There is no way she will make it through it. They were given the directive to get in touch with a clergyman as well as a funeral home. After being in a coma for two weeks, doctors discovered that I could see, but only out of my right eye. During that time, I was unconscious.
To this day, members of my father’s side of the family do not believe that I was the one who brought the pot down. Because of my height and the location of the burns, they were never comfortable with me. What you will from it, I leave up to you.
My whole life consisted of me being burnt and spending a lot of time in and out of hospitals. It seemed natural to me at the time. Because my family never treated me any differently than my brothers or cousins, I honestly had no idea that I looked different until I began school. When I started school, of course I felt like an outsider for the most part, but my family never treated me any differently than they did my siblings or relatives. When I first entered school, students would either remark something to the effect of “Ew, look at her face” or run away from me while calling me a monster. However, since my family never viewed me as a ‘Burn Victim,’ I never had that mindset.
Throughout the entire thing, I couldn’t help but wonder, “Whose face are we talking about? Who exactly is the villain? When children mocked my appearance, my response was always, “Yo mama.” I never give someone the satisfaction of boxing me in. I’ve made it a point to constantly let people know that I’ve had to put up a fight to save my life. Fighting you won’t be a problem for me.
When I was a kid, I did do my best to fit in, but I soon learned that my scars MADE it impossible for me to blend in. I had no option but to get over it and go on with my life if I wanted to keep living. I didn’t want to ever be in a position where I looked back and regretted not enjoying my life to the fullest just because I had a defect. When I was 13, I had the thought, “I will never fit in.” It is impossible for me to be anonymous in a large group.’ (Or, for that matter, commit bank robbery.) I was not afraid of the limelight, and I even installed a red carpet! Are you gazing at me? Permit me to put on a show for you.
Everyone is flawed in some way. They claim there was only one perfect person who ever walked this world, and they ended up killing him, so I’m going to keep playing the role of the main character. I am a walking Picasso; I am literally one of a kind, and I will continue to be my genuine self because I want to savor each and every second of this extremely brief adventure that we call life.
“I Wear My Flaws Like Diamonds,” the saying goes. That is the name of my company, and they are some phrases to absolutely live by. Diamonds are made under intense pressure!! Because of all that I’ve gone through, I nearly seem invincible, and my glitter reflects that. Accept it as part of who you are and flaunt it like it’s your most prized possession rather than trying to cover it up. Put some sparkle in your look with these.