A Nigerian woman living with neurofibromatosis has opened up about the painful treatment she sometimes faces in church during the “sign of peace.”
Eseoghene Susan Oghenekevwe, who is Catholic, said fellow worshippers sometimes avoid shaking her hand when members are invited to exchange a sign of peace.
Neurofibromatosis is a genetic disorder that can cause noncancerous tumors to develop along nerves and affect the skin, bones and other parts of the body.
For Susan, what should be a simple moment of fellowship can instead become a reminder of the stigma and misunderstanding people with visible medical conditions may face.
Her story is a reminder that kindness, understanding and acceptance should extend to everyone especially in places of worship.
Narrating her experience, she wrote on Facebook: ‘When I first started posting pictures on Facebook, I hardly posted my pictures without editing.
‘I always had to edit because so many people are frustrated online. So many people are not happy and here I am posting pictures when I’m trying to be happy, only for someone to bring their unhappiness to stain my white.
‘You can imagine how frustrating that can be sometimes.
‘So, I hardly post pictures.
‘When I got married, I still didn’t post much, but my husband kept posting me.
‘He was like, I can’t hide you. I have to post my wife now.
‘He would post and I would still be there editing my pictures. If someone wants to see my real picture, they just go to my husband’s profile.
‘Because on my own profile, na edited pictures you go see.
‘But recently, I started posting little by little.
‘Sometimes my husband would just tell me, “Why can’t you just share your story about this skin tag.
‘And honestly, I’m beginning to understand what he meant.’
