Erez Gaon was born with Congenital Melanocytic Naevus, a rare condition in which the body produces too much melanin.
Upon his birth, doctors were so concerned about mother Ruthi's reaction that they wrapped him in blankets to cover his body.
When Ruthi finally saw Erez's skin, she realized he was covered in dots and had a large black mole on his back. Because of his appearance, the little boy — who is now an eight-year-old third grader — has become accustomed to the constant looks and nasty comments.
Recently, a little girl looked at Erez out in public and started to laugh at his expense. Even the girl's mother started laughing at him.
Later that day, Ruthi asked Erez to draw dots all over her face, too.
When she looked at her Facebook page, she couldn't believe her eyes…
Eight years ago, Ruthi and her husband, Yoav, welcomed their third child into the world, but doctors were baffled by his appearance.
They wrapped him up to cover his body so Ruthi could only see his face.
When Ruthi and Yoav finally saw their son's body, they realized he was covered in dots and had a large black mole on his back.
Erez Gaon was born with Congenital Melanocytic Naevus, a rare condition in which the body produces too much melanin.
Erez's skin is covered in dark moles.
In addition to having scoliosis, the moles are also located internally on Erez's spine and brain, which have caused epileptic seizures.
After several surgeries and a recovery period, Erez's personality began to shine through.
Ruthi was defiant against the constant looks and stares, and proudly took him out in public.
"It was important for me to answer people’s questions and show other children that he wasn’t contagious," she says.
Today, Erez is an active third grader at a special needs school. Once a week, Ruthi takes him to a public school for social inclusion.
Erez is described as a social butterfly who loves interacting with others.
But as Erez grew more comfortable in his own skin, the Goan family's social life declined.
Ruthi and Yoav realized their "friends" were ashamed to be around them.
Now that Erez is eight years old, he understands when someone is bullying him.
Recently, a little girl looked at him and laughed, making a nasty comment about him to her mother.
The girl's mother started laughing, too.
Ruthi took Erez home and assured him that no matter what other people say, he will always be her beautiful boy.
Then, she asked Erez to paint dots on her face so she would look like him. They uploaded a few fun selfies on Facebook.
Ruthi was shocked to discover their post went viral across the country.
People from all over the world began flooding Ruthi's inbox with messages of support.
Strangers shared photos of themselves with dots painted on their faces.
Ruthi and Yoav hope Erez’s story will serve as a powerful reminder to be kind to others, despite differences.
Let's do our part to spread kindness in the face of ignorance. Please SHARE Erez's story with your friends on Facebook.
