Just like her mother, Libby Huffer, 45, suffers from a condition known as neurofibromatosis type 1, a genetic disorder that causes non-cancerous growths wherever nerves are present.
Sadly, this condition has left her with over 6,000 tumors on her body, which led to bullying. Libby has been called named over the years, and people went to the extent of branding her “a toad” and “lizard breath.”
Her condition became even worse when she fell pregnant and gave birth to her daughter 23 years ago. At the time, the number of tumors multiplied into thousands.
Libby has these tumors on every part of her body, including her face. What’s worse, they not only affect her appearance but also cause her chronic pain.
Unable to cope with the condition and they way she looked, Libby decided to start a fundraiser back in 2016 that would help her pay for electrodessication – a pioneering surgery to remove the tumors and prevent them from growing back.
Luckily, she was able to raise the money, and in June the following years, she had underwent the much-anticipated surgery which helped her get rid of around 1,000 of the tumors on her face and other parts of her body. The surgery was successful, but it left her with many scars which required a CO2 laser treatment.
“There’s still a long way to go to heal the emotional damage I’ve undergone over the years, but I know that will only improve over time,” she said.
“The more surgeries I have, the more confident I will become and that will help to erase some of my painful childhood memories.”
“Now I don’t have as many large tumours on my face and I feel like I’ve gained more confidence since the surgery.
“I don’t think people are staring at me as much now, I’ll still get kids looking at me occasionally but there’s definitely been a big difference.”
Speaking of the pain and the bullying she has suffered, Libby said, “I have been bullied and victimised my whole life because of the bumps all over my skin, they cover me from head-to-toe.
“In school kids would pick on me all the time, they called me lizard breath and toad.
At the time she tried to raise money for her surgery, Libby opened up about her struggles and asked from people to help her feel normal again.
“The tumours all over my back cause chronic pain, the nerves in my feet have a tingling sensation all the time which make it hard to sleep,” she said.
“They can even hurt from simple things like a hug or even if water from the shower hits them in a certain way.”
“But I am a human being too, all I want is to be adored and cared for like anyone else.
“Instead of making comments, I wish people would talk to me rather than stare like I’m a circus freak, it just makes me feel really uncomfortable.”
The surgery that changed her life cost her $23,500 and let her live without the stares and taunts from people for the first time in three decades.