14 DAY TRIAL // Blogger Carly Findlay suffers from a combination of chronic diseases that make her skin inflame, turning her face red and a target from insensitive mockery. Used to avoiding posting pictures of herself online, when a bad-spirited user shared a photo of her on Reddit, she decided it was time to fight back.
People's reactions varied from disgust, to mockery or pity and compared the Australian blogger's appearance to a glazed donut, a lobster or a thing that “was partially digested by my dog.” The nasty comments included one that attacked even Carly's smile, saying it was fake and an attempt to fool everyone her life isn't horrible.
Ms. Findlay noticed an increase of views on her blog and knew something must have triggered it, leading to the Reddit thread laughing about her difficult skin condition.
She decided to fight back like never before and wrote her own side of the story. She started by saying she was expecting this kind of reaction when a picture of her finally made it online and she had prepared for that for years.
“The love I have around me and success I have had through telling my own story to break down stigma like these Reddit threads is stronger than any of those words. Yes I have Ichthyosis. Yes that picture is of me. Don't fear it and don't criticize it. I am proud of the way I look, what I have achieved and for telling my story,” the woman wrote on the Reddit post ridiculing her look.
She admits that if this had happened earlier, she wouldn't have had the courage to fight back, but years of blogging made her gain confidence and support and she is not ashamed of being called names because of her health issues. Readers appreciated her honesty and inspirational attitude and called her a true champion.
Carly's skin condition is a combination of Netherton's syndrome and erythroderma, that makes her skin inflame when in contact with certain elements. To reduce the pain, she covers her face and body in paraffin, which creates a shiny protection shield and eases the pain. Despite her condition, Ms. Findlay assures people she is happy with who she is and what she has accomplished in her life.