Andrea’s story

Hi, I’m Andrea. It’s now been nearly two years, and I finally feel ready, and brave enough, to speak out.
Over time, I have come to realise that people are often judged for the way they look and not for who they really are. So, I may not have a six-pack with super-toned abs, and I haven’t got a straight back like other teenagers, but to be honest, none of that worries me anymore.
It is the people who can see your worth without bothering about your appearance who really love you for yourself. I am now half-way through a journey that seemed endless to begin with. I spent an entire year wearing this thing for 23 hours a day.
I had to cope with a whole summer when I couldn’t spend more than an hour a day by the sea, and holidays when I couldn’t do what everyone else was doing, and I was always finding excuses not to go out simply because I was too ashamed to admit that I had, and have, this “problem”.
Now, though, I am perfectly happy with who and what I am, and I know that the people who really care about me will continue to be there for me come what may.
I’d like to dedicate these few lines to myself, to acknowledge the fact that, after the initial tears and the anger at not being able to have a “normal” adolescence, I have finally grown self-confident enough not to feel ashamed.
This is not one of life’s real problems, it’s just an obstacle I need to overcome in order to become a better person. I am proud of who I am today.