“What happened to you?”
This is a question I recently got at water park over the summer. I was standing in line for a ride in my bathing suit with one of my friends when an older woman, probably in her 60s, turns to me and says just that, very rudely and coldly, “What happened to you?” She was referring to the pretty big scar on my abdomen. I told her that I got this scar when I received my liver transplant 19 years ago when I was just 3 months old. Now, I love telling people about my scar because then it gives them a face to organ donation. It gets the word out that organ donation is truly lifesaving for I am a living, breathing example. But, the way she said it is exactly why I hid my scar for 14 years.
When I was growing up I was very embarrassed of my scar. I never wore two-piece bathing suits, and if I was feeling a little more adventurous, I would wear a one of those tankinis that covered up my scar. I thought it was ugly, and I didn’t want people staring at me or asking me where it came from. I wanted to avoid it all together.
That all changed when I realized that I should not be hiding it. I should be celebrating it. My scar is the proof that I am alive here today. My scar is the proof of my mom’s love for she was the one that donated part of her own liver. I should want people to ask me questions and learn more. Little by little, I became more comfortable. I went out and purchased my first bikini, although for a while there I still folded my arms across my scar just out of habit. I soon began to appreciate the meaning behind my scar and focused less on the appearance of it. As I grew older, I became more equipped to answer those questions from the brave strangers who were willing to ask, and that's when reality hit me. I can be helping others by sharing my story and that is amazing.
If you have a scar, either to the magnitude of mine or even a little one, you shouldn’t feel ashamed. Scars show you’ve been through something hard and with strength, you overcame. Scars can teach others things they didn’t know before. Scars tell others that we are tough and badass. Scars are beautiful. Scars help to make us who we are.
