Sara Farrow, 27, was scared of people seeing her newborn daughter Lacey-Dee Barrett in public because of the port-wine stain birthmark covering 90% of her body.
It was caused by the abnormal development of her blood vessels during pregnancy, and protective Sara was scared people would single out her daughter.
Tom Maddick/SWNS
So for the first six weeks of her life, single mom Sara covered her daughter's bright-colored skin and hid her away from strangers.
And when she posted photos of Lacey-Dee on Instagram, Sara said she used filters to mask the true color of her daughter's skin.
She only changed her ways when she became worried Lacey-Dee would look back on her baby photos when she is older and asked her mom if she was embarrassed.
But even when she finally plucked up the courage, Sara claims strangers told her her daughter looks “diseased" and "contagious."
Sara Farrow /SWNS.COM
Sara, from Lincoln, England, said:
"Until she was six weeks old I covered her up whenever we went out in public. As her mom obviously I am not bothered about her appearance but I was scared about what other people would think."
"When she was first born she was very red and looked bruised. I've had people say lots of things when we are out. I was scared of what people would think of me as a mum."
Sara Farrow /SWNS.COM
She added:
"People have said she looks diseased and have asked what's wrong with her face. One person asked 'is she allergic to the washing powder I use' and people think there is something really wrong with her.
"She is completely unique and it's just how she is. It makes her who she is and for me now it would be strange to see her without the birthmarks. I think she is beautiful and love how she looks."
Lacey-Dee was born at Lincoln County Hospital in April and Sara said she realized something was different straight away.
She had darker patches on her chest and doctors thought she may have been bruised.
Sara Farrow /SWNS.COM
Within hours, the birthmark appeared in full on the surface of Lacey-Dee's skin and Sara said initially it was "hard to come to terms with."
Former retail worker Sara said:
"It was only on her chest at first and we thought it might be bruising. But after a couple of hours her whole body turned purple and blue. It was a real shock to be honest and I was really worried because doctors weren't sure what was wrong."
She was referred to specialists and diagnosed with port wine stains in October.
Sara Farrow /SWNS.COM
Only three in every 1,000 babies are born with the condition which occurs during pregnancy, and usually only appear on one limb or area of the body.
Sara said she covered up as much of her daughter's skin with baby blankets, long sleeved clothing or hiding her away in her buggy.
"I just thought 'oh god' and it was hard for me to come to terms with," she said, adding:
"I was most worried about her face and I'm scared for her future. But it got to the point where I didn't want her to look back on baby photos and see I wasn't confident enough or I was embarrassed."
"I had to get brave for her sake as much as mine. I had to come to terms with it. I'm worried for when she goes to school. I don't want her to be called names or to be bullied."
Tom Maddick/SWNS
The condition comes with no other side effects, and Sara said Lacey-Dee is a “very happy" baby.
But she said when she is out and about she faces having to explain her daughter's discoloration.
Sara said:
"We went to the GP and a receptionist there said she should be kept in another room away from children playing in the waiting room in case she's contagious."
"It makes me feel bad but regardless of the birthmark, it doesn't change who she is. We have seen so many dermatologists and they all said this is the most extensive case of Port Wine Stains they have seen."
Tom Maddick/SWNS
Lacey-Dee will meet with specialists next month to see if she is eligible for color-corrective treatment.
The former Biggest Loser trainer asked why Lizzo fans were "celebrating her body" instead of her songs during a controversial interview on BuzzFeed News' AM2DM.
"Why are we celebrating her body? Why does it matter? Why aren't we celebrating her music?"
"It isn't going to be awesome if she gets diabetes."
.@JillianMichaels on Lizzo: "Why are we celebrating her body? Why does it matter? Why aren't we celebrating her mus… https://t.co/aUnnrVt7LC— AM2DM by BuzzFeed News (@AM2DM by BuzzFeed News) 1578505560.0
She tried to dial it back a notch by praising Lizzo's music but came back with sarcasm.
"I love her music. My kid loves her music. But there's never a moment where I'm like, 'And I'm so glad that she's overweight.'"
Trolls have been known to fat-shame the singer, and consequently, Lizzo announced she was quitting Twitter on Sunday.
@lizzo/Twitter
Celebrities like The Good Place's Jameela Jamil came to Lizzo's defense and berated Michaels.
Just saying... MY WHOLE DAMN THIN FAMILY HAS DIABETES AND HIGH CHOLESTEROL AND PROBLEMS WITH OUR JOINTS. Why is Thi… https://t.co/NsClZGJun1— Jameela Jamil 🌈 (@Jameela Jamil 🌈) 1578508463.0
We celebrate @Lizzo’s body because she inhabits it with love & teaches us to do the same. She holds concerts that i… https://t.co/gpMJqPkD6j— Sharanya Haridas (@Sharanya Haridas) 1578514905.0
Others went after the personal trainer for her misguided criticism.
@AM2DM @JillianMichaels Lizzo spends hours every night singing and playing the flute during intensive dance cardio.… https://t.co/EsBLDizHB3— 🐺Mira (@🐺Mira) 1578509142.0
@AM2DM @JillianMichaels More people die from complications of anorexia than any other mental illness, but sure, let… https://t.co/3JocP4V2eP— Michal is Mandalorthodox (@Michal is Mandalorthodox) 1578509036.0
TW Fatphobia - Once you understand that nothing she is saying is backed by fact or science, this interview becomes… https://t.co/ClA0YanxXo— belen (@belen) 1578512209.0
Fans reminded Michaels of Lizzo's fierce athleticism on stage singing and dancing in heels night after night in addition to playing the flute.
Facebook user Stefan Brundage shared a quote from Melissa Florer-Bixler – a pastor from Raleigh Mennonite Church – who defended Lizzo and said:
"...the next time you hear someone opine that Lizzo is normalizing obesity, know that this is simply more fat-phobia disguised as health concerns."
Do let us know when you can twerk and play the flute at the same time, Jillian. Until then, shut your mouth. https://t.co/jvvYlNK5Fu— Imani Gandy (@Imani Gandy) 1578508748.0
People continued to school Michaels with some facts.
@AM2DM @JillianMichaels Nick Jonas and Halle Berry both have diabetes. Fat does not equal diabetes.— Gheigh Niggaologist (@Gheigh Niggaologist) 1578509372.0
Also re: Jillian and Lizzo: this is a failed attempt to dunk on a girl who enthusiastically shares her dance & stre… https://t.co/3H6w7VdXTC— Sara Benincasa (@Sara Benincasa) 1578509070.0
Also, if Jillian Michaels actually cared about folks getting fit and healthy to meet whatever her own ideal is (whi… https://t.co/YKd114OKz1— Sara Benincasa (@Sara Benincasa) 1578509232.0
Also, there is a racial component here, whether or not Michaels makes a policy of policing all famous self-describe… https://t.co/RHzs4g8Xpp— Sara Benincasa (@Sara Benincasa) 1578509445.0
@AM2DM @JillianMichaels Fat shaming is not ok. Using fat shaming as an alarm, code or determinant for contracting a… https://t.co/46anDVORaB— MrsBundrige (@MrsBundrige) 1578515001.0
@AM2DM @JillianMichaels Her body is nobody else’s business— taylorbold. (@taylorbold.) 1578534683.0
Michaels responded to the backlash on Instagram and wrote:
"As I've stated repeatedly, we are all beautiful, worthy, and equally deserving."
"I also feel strongly that we love ourselves enough to acknowledge there are serious health consequences that come with obesity -- heart disease, diabetes, cancer to name only a few."
"I would never wish these for ANYONE and I would hope we prioritize our health because we LOVE ourselves and our bodies."
Last month, Lizzo faced criticism from author Boyce Watkins, who said her fame was due to the fact that "there is an obesity epidemic in America."
Watkins tweeted:
"Rather than encouraging people to do better, we are simply lying to them and telling them that they are just fine the way they are."
"Unfortunately, many of these people are dying from diabetes and heart disease."
#Lizzo popular is because there is an obesity epidemic in America. Rather than encouraging people to do better, we… https://t.co/2zyErfs63l— Dr Boyce Watkins (@Dr Boyce Watkins) 1576871806.0
In response to Watkins' unwelcome insight, Lizzo disagreed and credited her popularity for reasons unrelated to her body image.
"I'm popular because I write good songs and I'm talented and perform high energy hour and a half shows filled with love."
"The only person who needs to do better is you."
"Keep my name out ya mouth & look in the mirror before you come for me."
I’m popular because I write good songs and I’m talented and perform high energy hour and a half shows filled with l… https://t.co/dDdEfMoxRF— Feelin Good As Hell (@Feelin Good As Hell) 1577135127.0
We love you, Lizzo!
It's also an extremely stressful profession with worries about low pay and lack of classroom funding combining with the general stresses of dealing with a classroom full of children every day can make for a frustrating work environment.
Reddit user u/ainternal_Recording asked:
"Students of Reddit, what was the reason for why one of your teacher's had a breakdown during class?"
10.
I have a story for this one.
A few years ago, I took a class in design theory. It was the pet project of the head of the college, and taught the design principles behind everything from common household objects to room layouts to entire organizations. It was an absolutely brutal class, but uniquely informative.
One day, towards the end of the semester, we went over the use of humor in design. The professor spent the entire class talking about how laughter and amusement can be used to engage an audience and change how people see a situation. The whole time, he was laughing, cracking jokes (and good ones, too), and generally making sure the class had a good time.
And at the end of the lesson, he told us not to underestimate the power of laughter; after all, it was how he had gotten through the lecture that day.
His father had died a couple days prior. He broke down crying after he told us.
It's probably the most impactful lecture I've ever attended.
9.
GiphyGrade 10 science class, we were taking turns using some kind of lung capacity measuring device. Breathe into a tube and a small plastic ball gets raised by the force of your breathing, something gets measured somehow, i can't really remember details aside from the plastic ball.
Anyway, the teacher takes his turn, apparently trying to show off with how hard he can breathe out, somehow breaks the measuring device.
The teacher goes into a rage after realizing he broke it, briefly tries to fix it, gives up, picks up a metal garbage can and throws it in anger, storms out of the room and doesn't come back for 10-15 mins at which point he returns and acts like nothing happened.
It was more bizarre and amusing than anything else.
8.
The teacher learned that one student cheated on a history essay. After getting this kid suspended for two days (repeat offender), she discovered that almost 2/3rds of her class in that subject was cheating as well. I dont know what happened after that but she literally broke down when she found out that my class knew about it (we were in a different subject so we weren't a part of this "scandal")
7.
The teacher was bullied and disrepected everyday. One day an idiot threw a geometry compass and it got stucked on a cork board (like when you do knive throwing) right besides her while she was writing on the board. Instant meltdown, in tears, she left the class and i never saw her again. Can't blame her, she probably thought her life was in danger at this point. Some schools/neighborhoods are very hard.
6.
My favorite science teacher in high school was slowly being forced out by administration. One day in class she stopped teaching and sat down in front of us and told us she had just been diagnosed with MS and began sobbing. The entire class got up and gave her a long group hug. It is one of my most cherished memories from that chapter of my life.
5.
My 8th grade Spanish teacher and the freshman baseball coach were having an affair. It eventually became public knowledge and she had several breakdowns as her divorce played out over course of my 8th grade year. I had the pleasure of joining the freshman baseball team the next year and experiencing his own share of breakdowns from his own divorce.
4.
One time in math class the emo girl was not having it. I don't even remember how it got started but she ended up bickering with the teacher and the emo girl called the teacher "thunder t*ts".
It was at this point that the emo girl was sent to the office and the teacher had to take a seat at her desk in the back for a few minutes.
If I were that teacher I absolutely would have sent her to the office (because you kind of have to to keep control) and then I'd've sat in the back for a few minutes but mostly because that's one of the funniest things to call someone and I would have been DESPERATELY trying not to laugh in front of the group of students I was in charge of.
3.
My math professor in college was going through a divorce and they were fighting for custody of their two younger children. You can tell he was irritated because he wore his emotions on his sleeve. One day he came into class about 5 minutes late and he was physically shaking. He was violently crying and apologize to us and said the class was cancelled. He apparently lost the custody fight with his ex wife.
2.
GiphyTwo girls were chatting during math class while one did the other's hair. My math teacher couldn't take it, got a meter stick and slammed it on the one girl's desk yelling "no hairdressing!" We were all shocked. It was odd.
Joke's on him, she became a hairdresser.
1.
My Math teacher in 8th grade was extremely pregnant and our exchange student from Brazil called her beautiful. She broke down in tears and admitted she didn't feel very pretty.
