My Beautiful Face|Katie Piper

My Beautiful Face – Katie Piper

Sometimes in life, we just don’t realise how fortunate we are. It takes a video like Roger Ebert’s or to work with “john’ or read/watch about Katie to realise… My Beautiful Face – Katie Price

The other day I saw Richard Branson’s post about Roger Ebert, I was soo moved by it as everyone is who watches it.  One particular part of his talk took me back 25 years ago.

Roger and his wife talked about how people looked at him as if he was something out of a horror movie

how they talked to him as if he was stupid or talked About him, in front of him.

25 years ago Plus,  I was a nurse working on a Plastic Surgery Unit.

Plastic Surgery is when people have surgery to repair really bad accidents or birth defects.

We had people on the ward, who had lost their thumbs in accidents and were having a new thumb fashioned by having their hand attached to their stomach, yes quite amazing. I also worked with babies who were born with cleft pallets.

Very interesting work.

One of the patients was John (name changed), he was a young man, lovely young man who had had chemicals explode in his face and lost his whole face.

He had no eyes,

no nose and a disfigured mouth. 

He would have been in his twentys, lovely guy. I used to love to go and sit and talk with him.

What I most remember about ‘John’ was the warmth you felt, when you walked into the room… he was just so warm and friendly, despite his disfigurement… 

My Beautiful Face – Katie Piper

However when the doctors and medical students would come in, the medical students would talk about him as if he wasn’t there.

No, you don’t see someone like ‘John’ every day and for the doctors,

it was a great challenge, great work experience to rebuild ‘John’s’ face.

So to watch Roger Egert’s video, was so inspiring – I wish John and Roger could have met, because whilst Roger, who sadly died recently,  was not as disfigured as ‘John’ was, it would have been great to have met someone in a similar boat.

On reflection I am sure ‘John’  met others in a similar boat…

I came across Katie Piper many years ago and have watched her progress over the years…

By her own admission, Katie used to be very wrapped up in how she looked…. as she coins her own title My Beautiful Face – Katie Piper

A beautiful young lady whose ex boyfriend had someone throw acid in her face,

she went on to form a foundation for people with disfigurement.

Roger and Katie are both so inspiring,

Roger with his talk which will have gone round the world,

inspiring people and Katie travelled around the UK meeting people with disfigurements.

Happily Katie has found love again and now  has a baby….

I hasten to add, none of these three people were feeling sorry for themselves..
….obviously yes they were ‘pissed off’ with what happened to them,

but they put their ‘situation’ to work instead and decided to inspire others.

I don’t know what happened to ‘John’ after I left the ward – I wish I had kept in touch, but its not easy when your a nurse and they are the patient.

I was inspired to share this post by this young lady

The Girl who Lost her face, click on the image to find out more about Shumi

So whats the lesson from this post. 

Not to judge people

you never know whats going on in their life, to show compassion,

to be kind to people,

you never know whose day your making.

Welcome your thoughts on My Beautiful Face – Katie Piper

To be grateful for where you are in your life

Helen