Tuesday, March 31, 2015

My Prosthetic Eye

Questions and Comments I have heard throughout my life:

"Did you get into a horrible car accident?"
"Were you burnt?"
"What happened to your face?"
"Oh, you're from South America, that explains it. People from South America tend to have strange diseases."
"Oh my God! That makeup looks amazing. I almost thought it was real."
" Don't worry honey, God loves you a lot."
" You have a big eye."
" You have one black eye and one green eye." 
" You will never have a boyfriend because you are not attractive." 

These are just a few of the questions and comments I have heard through out my life. It used to make me angry that people always thought that my face was the result of a freak accident.It is as if it is a lot more comprehensible to understand that a car accident caused my scars, verses being born with a disorder. Maybe because that means that it could have been them with NF or even their own child. I really don't know. At times it still hurts my feelings when I see that glazed look on peoples faces as if they just don't get it. How I was born looking this way... and survived.  I used to fall apart. I used to want to cry. I used to hate it. I used too... not anymore. 

Thankfully, I outgrow the phase in my life where I allowed the ignorance of others affect me. Now when I get rude questions or comments I simple smile. I am done explaining to ignorance, I just respond to questions by saying, " I was born this way." I smile and keep on living my life. 
~

So I have a prosthetic eye, I have had it since I was twelve. Even today, I can vividly remember my excitement for my glass eye, I was giddy with joy! I was excited because I was going to have two beautiful eyes. I did not care that one was fake and that my right eye would never look to my left. I was happy knowing that my prosthetic eye looked one hundred percent better than my real eye. 
The day I got my eye I went to my aunt and uncle's house. My aunt said something along the lines of " You look so pretty!" ( she said it in Spanish). 
I have always been proud of my eye. I like my eye!! 
Through out the years, I have gotten multiple eyes due to surgeries and grown up. I have all my prosthetic eyes. I keep them not only because they were costly but as a reminder of how far I have come! 

So I have a prosthetic eye. Everyone can tell that my right eye is not real, and those that act shocked when I say otherwise are just being nice. 






** Sorry that I am posting so late, I have had a crazy month at work. Thanks for reading**