Fighting Rejection———–Adopted from Star Newspaper

Posted on February 29, 2008 by maximersilliam

"Those with facial disfigurement suffer alienation and loss of self-image. A British organisation is endeavour to combat social rejection of such people"—Specially Adopted by MAX LEE(owner of blog)

Staring, curiosity, anguish, recoil, embarrassment and dread – what he describes as "SCARED syndrome" – sums up the feeling of people meeting you and your face, wrote Partridge, author of Changing Faces: The Challenge of Facial Disfigurement, and founder and chief executive of the charity of the same name that supports and represents people who have disfigurement s to the face or body. Since its launch in 1992, the coping strategies and confidence-building techniques detailed in the book have formed the basis for the social skills training provided by the charity.            Partridge, who aged 18, was badly disfigured in a car accident, refused to look in the mirror for three months. "I knew it was bad from people’s reactions," he recalls. "When I finally saw myself, I was shocked to the core." What stared back at him was unrecognisable from the angelic-looking teenager he had been. "The though of taking this face into the street and meeting old friends…the self-consciousness level was of absolute  colossal proportions," Partridge says. "The face is so much how we communicate. It’s our self-image. It’s what other people remember." Partridge done himself some plastic surgery which included  growing a pedicle -a tube of skin- on his back & grafting it on to the lower part of his face.
           Surgery helps to remove the shock factor, but he discovered a wealth of taboos, stigma and unease that besiege facial disfigurement. His experiences led him to write the book that has become a self-help bible for people coming to terms with their own facial disfigurement and other people’s reactions to it. The most common facial disfigurements are birthmarks, cleft lip or palates, and scars from burn injuries, or after treatment for diseases, such as cancer. Skin conditions such as acne & psoriasis can also cause severe disfigurement. "Trying to surgically treat someone is laudable aim but a disfigurement can rarely be removed completely," says Partridge. Fifteen years on, Changing Faces has notched up some victories, most importantly getting people with serious disfigurement covered by the Disability Discrimination Act. But conversely, Partridge feels that today’s appearance-obsessed society has bred a less tolerant attitude towards people whose looks do not fit the "norm".

"We hoped we were going to ride a wave towards diversity and the inclusion of people with disabilities, but it’s almost the other way. The norms of acceptability are narrowing," he sighs.

           People with facial disfigurement often suffer from low self-esteem, face rejection and have intimacy issues. Although face transplant has been introduced to the modern world by advancement of science & technology, Partridge, an articulate advocate, has used the controversy generated by the face transplant debate to raise the charity’s profile. He perceived face transplant as not a relevant solution in this context. The risk of rejection put at 30% to 50%. His stance is to increase the awareness of society regarding to the human right and egalitarianism, in which the unfortunates can live in the society, mingling with the normals, working with the professionals, get promotion, and marry with their love ones. And, the best way to implement such mindset to the norm is via education, key of the solution.            Every human is unique by himself, with defects but absent of perfection. Because defects distinguished you among the crowd. And this uniqueness should not be challenged nor denigrated by anyone on Earth. Be Appreciate & Splash your Loves Indiscriminately to your surrounding. I love you! Thank for reading the text so seriously. My sharing end here. Adieu!
~Max~