Bullying is an epidemic that affects kids around the world. Although both males and females are targets, statistically, girls are bullied more than boys. In fact, 21 percent of females in middle and high school have reported being cyberbullied. Then when you add in face-to-face insults, for a lot of people, it’s all too much to handle. Sadly, some kids feel the only way to escape bullying is by committing suicide.

School-aged kids are bullied for all kinds of reasons. Sometimes, it has to do with weight and other times, poor economic status. Then, there are the kids who get bullied because of their skin. That’s was the case for one young woman named Marika.

Marika was born with a unique skin condition.

Rather than the color of her skin or having a severe case of acne, both common reasons that kids are bullied, Marika has a unique medical condition. While her spots are technically birthmarks, they’re extremely noticeable.

At birth, doctors immediately noticed her birthmarks.

When Marika was born, the doctors saw that roughly 60 percent of her skin was covered with dark spots. Since this was such a rarity, they wanted to make sure she didn’t have any serious health conditions. So, they ran a series of tests, including ultrasounds. They discovered she was perfectly normal other than having spots.

Further testing was required to give the parents a firm diagnosis.

Eventually, the doctors diagnosed Marika with Congenital Nevus. According to medical statistics, only one baby out of 500,000 are born with this rare condition. The most obvious indication was the spots. But the doctors pointed out that people with Congenital Nevus are at a higher risk for developing skin cancer.

Marika had to undergo several skin removal procedures.

To reduce her chance of developing cancer, medical professionals performed seven skin removal procedures. However, she’s still covered in spots. Especially as a child, her condition made going to school and forming friendships difficult. It didn’t take any time for bullies to target her.

The cruelty went beyond hurtful words.

As Marika explained, not only was she called names like giraffe and cow but some of her classmates assaulted her physically. Although her parents felt completely helpless, they supported their daughter and helped her the best they could. Somehow, Marika made it through school.

Becoming a mom and more.

Today, Marika is a single mother of a beautiful boy. While the doctors told her that she wouldn’t pass the condition down to him, she still worried. After giving birth, she checked him from head to toe…but no spots. Then another miraculous thing happened. With a passion for being in front of the camera, she got into modeling.

She’s inspiring both men and women everywhere.

At 21 years of age, Marika’s just getting started. But her future, spots and all, looks incredibly bright. For her, beauty equates to diversity. Although she’s still modeling on a local level, she has aspirations for much more. And with her determination and support, there’s nothing stopping her from going on to even bigger and better career opportunities.

Even when life deals you an unexpected and perhaps unfair hand, you have the choice of turning it into something positive. That’s exactly what Marika did.

Please SHARE this with your friends and family.

Sources: Shareably, YouTube