How I got my scar by Lo Williams

I’m told that 2004 was a very traumatic year - for my mom, my dad and my sister especially - as I don’t really remember that much about that time to be honest. 

I was 2 years old and on my way home from nursery with my sister, Li.  As my sister was putting my pushchair down for us to get on the bus, I ran off across the busy road and I was hit by an oncoming car, leaving me trapped underneath.  Scary yeah!

I was told that 4 guys physically lifted the car to get me out and then I was rushed to City Hospital in someone’s car which was just a short distance down the road from where I was.

I suffered an injured lip, a cut above my left eye and a fractured hip bone, but I was alive, thank God!

My sister said that whilst I was on the x-ray table I told the nurses that Jesus had saved me! To this day I know that He had saved me, for such a time as this.

Having been transferred to the Birmingham Children’s Hospital I underwent surgery on my lip to stitch it back together, and they told my mom it would take a while to heal and then they could assess the scar tissue and whether plastic surgery was necessary.

I had regular appointments at the Children's Hospital and as the weeks and months passed the scar started to settle down.  We moved house, I started a new nursery and life carried on as usual, although I know that it was a very difficult time for my mom, and my sister particularly, and they were very protective of me.

During my time of healing I was told that my mom felt pressured for me to have plastic surgery, but she was adamant that it would be a decision that I would make when I was older and was sometimes made to feel guilty about not doing it straightaway.  The years went by and at the age of 15 I decided that I didn’t want to have an operation and that this was me, whether people liked it or not!

I’m not gonna lie, it wasn’t easy.  Whilst growing up, people, especially adults, would come up to me and say; ‘why’s your face like that?  How did that happen?  Imagine, asking a young child that?  Other times people would openly just stare at me.

I very much lacked confidence in public, but in the safety of my home I was a happy-go-lucky child, always singing, dancing and chatting about something or other - Nothing changes right! 

During my secondary school years I would only take pictures from my ‘best’ side and always overly used filters to hide the scar.  It’s only now that I realise how insecure I was about the way I looked.

At home my mom and my sister always kept me safe and encouraged me in everything I wanted to do. And here I am today, doing everything that I love and not letting anything stand in my way.

My scar is still there, faded over the years and I don’t really notice it now. My mom says that she’s never noticed it and that I’ve always been beautiful to her.

Having a scar on my face has had its challenges over the years, but I will never be ashamed of it or let it stop me from following my dreams.  It’s part of me now and simply means that I am stronger than ever before.