birthmark

...What do you wish people would say instead?

People often call me "disfigured" because of my facial birthmark. But instead of saying I have a facial "disfigurement," I'd rather people say I have a "facial difference." My face is just a little different than the norm, and that's OK. I'm not disfigured, which has such a negative feeling and connotation behind it.

#RareDisease #ChronicIllness #FacialDifference #MentalHealth #Anxiety #Depression #Education #Birthmark #PortWineStainBirthmark

When people make rude comments about my facial birthmark, I typically respond in kindness. Only a few times have I unleashed the sarcasm, but I constantly think of jokes or sarcastic responses I want to give...but am not brave enough to say in that moment. So often I come home and say, "This is what someone said about my face. This is how I responded, but this is how I *wanted* to respond." Do you feel obligated to be kind when you respond to people, or do you ever have fun with how you reply to the unkind comments? #MentalHealth #Birthmark #PortwineStain #Ableism #ChronicIllness #Disability