5 euros, 10 euros, 15 euros, 20 euros… Minute by minute the amount collected increased. There were even donations of 100, 200 and 500 euros.
Many people placed a message with the donations to put an extra heart to her. “I think you are so brave,” someone wrote. “You are beautiful Melissa! I love you,” it also sounds. “Having a good heart is what makes us really beautiful,” says another. “You deserve to be 100% happy.”
Even those with few means have deposited. “I live on a survivor’s pension, but this story moves me enormously. I know being laughed at because you don’t look like others, so I still want to do my part.”
As a newborn baby, Melissa was diagnosed with an eye tumor. “Because of the radiation treatment, one side of my face didn’t grow with it, resulting in a deformity. I’ve had quite a few surgeries to bring my face into proportion. Unfortunately, there is no more savings to pay for a last operation. It would again cost 25,000 euros and will not be refunded,” she says.
© Dirk Vertommen
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“Since childhood I have been looked at, called at, laughed at and bullied. I never knew otherwise. My children also sometimes get comments about their mom. I have zero confidence. When I come out, it’s with my head in the ground. Maybe with a facial reconstruction I could finally blossom a little. Not because I want to look pretty, but because I just want to look,” she says.
A friend of Melissa therefore started an online support campaign in the hope of being able to give her a more normal life. The promotion was checked and approved by the Dutch website Support Action. On Thursday, before 5 pm, the 25,000 euro mark was already reached, after just two days. More than 1,100 people contributed. And the pouring continues. “The amount has been received, this should work. If there is a surplus, we give it to a good cause. Thank you all. It’s insane,” said Melissa.
help stranger
For someone who has mainly been confronted with the shy sides of social intercourse all her life, this wave of solidarity is unexpected. “I didn’t think people really cared about anyone anymore. Certainly not for me. My faith in humanity was not so great anymore. I thought people would read the article, mind it, and then just get on with their day. But look. Apparently people still want to help a stranger. This is very emotional for me.”
Normally Melissa prefers to hide when there is a camera nearby. But now she wanted to tell her story. A conscious choice that she is now happy about. “It feels like a kind of relief. If I go outside now, I will be able to walk the street more positively. Now people know my story and they know why I look like this. That makes sense.”
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