We are most helpless when we are young — as tiny infants, we are dependent on others around us to look out for us and to ensure our wellbeing.
That's why adversity is most likely to strike then, when attention from us is shifted away for but a second. Luckily, there are many parents, family members, and guardians out there who react speedily in dire situations to save children from grave danger. But sometimes misfortunes befall us, regardless of our efforts to fight them.
Such devastating hardship befell Chantelle Ryan when she was just 1 year old. She suffered the most horrific accident. No one was at fault, but she would have to endure an endless amount of pain for a large part of her young life.
But this young woman is not letting what others consider a "disability" stand in her way of finding confidence and happiness. Now, she has opened up and spoke to The Daily Mail about her ordeal. Read on to discover the powerful decisions she has made in her life.
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h/t: Daily Mail
Chantelle Ryan is a 19-year-old girl who lives in Burnley, a town in eastern Lancashire, England. This beautiful young woman was horribly injured by a house fire when she was just 14 months old.
Back in August 1997, there was a fault in the home's electric power system, and as a result, a burning ceiling tile fell into Chantelle's cot. Chantelle almost didn't survive the accident — 24 percent of her body was covered in extreme-degree burns, and she also suffered from lung damage.
As a little girl, Chantelle had to have multiple surgeries to help rebuild her hand, and skin graft operations for the severe scarring left on her face and scalp. For a long time, she had to wear a burn mask.
Chantelle's mother, Roseann and her husband, Mick (both 57), have supported Chantelle throughout dozens of operations.
Chantelle did not have an easy childhood. Vicious bullies would taunt her for the scars on her face and hairline. Even her own relatives used to bully her.
"It caused so much trouble, even within our family, because people just couldn't cope with my injuries," she told the Daily Mail.
As a child and teenager, Chantelle was constantly in tears. Bullies nicknamed her "Freddy Krueger" for her scars. For years, the malicious taunting left her feeling defeated, extremely self-conscious, and helpless. She refused to look at herself in the mirror.
"As a child, I went through hell," she said. "I had to wear a Perspex mask all through primary school. I had big bald patches in my hair." Bullies told her to "get back in [her] toaster."
It was tormenting for Chantelle’s mother to see her daughter suffer. “I used to feel so guilty that I should have rescued her from the fire, that we should have lived elsewhere,” she said. But to her, Chantelle was nothing but beautiful.
Recently, Chantelle has had surgery done to encourage future hair growth, and will soon find out if she will be able to receive a transplant for a full head of hair.
She cites the story of burn survivor Katie Piper as an inspiration. It was Piper who ultimately gave her the strength to look at her own reflection for the first time in years. Furthermore, she’s preparing to join a hair and beauty course starting this fall.
Surgeons have told Chantelle that she can finally choose for herself which scars she wants to have operations carried out on. She thinks that she’ll only have one done: a scar that has been on her arm. Doctors will also be giving her special makeup to cover up the scars, but she doesn’t know if she’ll apply it.
“People shouldn’t be paranoid about how they look,” she said. “People worry too much. You can’t change your life, you’ve only got one.” Chantelle has realized that there are many forms of beauty that exist, and that it’s up to her to courageously embrace the one she embodies.
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