Looks or Character? – A nightmare!

I remember hearing a famous speaker talking about the above subject and coming down on the side of character but also saying but noone wants to sit down at the breakfast table every morning looking at a nightmare! Some of us have the problem with even looking in a mirror!

According to my policy I warn you that there are two pictures under the line – with no sores nor any blood – but seeing them is essential to reading my thoughts for today.

So here goes…..

Everyone of you is thinking ‘how ugly, what a tragedy’. If not, I begin to wonder about you! He looked much worse than this when I first met him. All the darker skin is skin graft. When he was very little he was burnt but I guess way out in the bush just left to heal. On the left side of face deep and he developed a massive contracture; and shallow enough over his scalp to largely heal by scarring. He lost his hair. It had to be deep enough to have burnt right through the skin on the left side of face and he had relieved the pain by pulling his neck to the left and, as it slowly healed, he had a terrible contracture with the corner of his mouth and the left eye lids and, as you can see, the edge of his nose pulled down and stuck to his shoulder. Grafting has helped a lot.

He obviously needs much more done at some stage but he is able to see, eat and breathe well. I’m not showing him for his looks but for his character. He must be six or seven by now and character can change. But his mother loved him and he was secure in that love. I got to know him very well and he always greeted me with, maybe a twisted, but gorgeous smile and would hold out his arms to come and give me a cuddle and a kiss, but as nice a kiss as I’ve ever had. He laughed and chortled and we enjoyed each other. I hope he’s not being bullied or shunned. But if he is, going on his past, I think he has the character to overcome.

We’re told not to judge a book by its cover. He was a good lesson to me!

Dominic Cartier