Bullied For My Birthmark - But Now I Embrace It | BORN DIFFERENT

A MAN who spent years being bullied for his ‘port wine’ birthmark has learned to love himself and embrace his differences. Eric Pixley, 30, from Ohio, has a birthmark covering most of the right side of his face and scalp, as well as seeping into his left eye. A 'port-wine' birthmark is a vascular birthmark caused by a mutation of blood vessels. It affects three in every 1,000 children in the world, with 65% of port wine stains showing on the head and neck. He noticed he was different from when he was just eight years old, and even from such a young age, Eric would experience feelings of confusion and depression - often questioning why he was born different. He said: “I couldn’t even look in the mirror, I couldn’t even glance in a mirror - and that was how in-depth I felt about having a facial birthmark.” At school, he claims that his principle even attempted to cover his birthmark with make-up so that he was less likely to be picked on by his school peers. He says that the experience only made the bullying worse. He began to finally embrace his appearance when he was in his late teens. Six years ago, Eric began to raise awareness of his condition through a Facebook page he created called “Port Wine and Proud”. On the page, he writes and performs raps about his differences, in the hopes of educating others in a fun and creative way.