8-year-old Carter Blanchard suffers from a skin disease – vitiligo. Because of him, the boy could not even look at himself in the mirror. He hated his appearance.
How cruel children can be, any of us knows. Everyone went to school. Everyone can remember an example of how he himself was teased because of a backpack not in the mainstream. Or how they mocked a classmate because of acne. And eight-year-old Carter has a much bigger problem. A black boy has vitiligo. Who does not remember – this is an incurable skin disease, when the body lacks pigment. Because of this, light spots appear on the skin that do not even tan. Dark skin, white spots …
It was useless to console the baby with an example of a dark-skinned model, who became famous and in demand due to her unusual appearance. He hated his appearance. After all, it would be fine if he was born that way – the disease began to manifest itself later, changing his face.
The boy’s mom Stephanie was already desperate to reconcile the child with his own appearance. Depression fell on the boy more and more. And then a miracle happened.
“God heard our prayers,” Stephanie says. – On the Internet, I came across pictures of a dog that also had vitiligo.
We are talking about a 13-year-old Labrador named Rhodey, by that time he was a real celebrity. He has his own Facebook page, to which more than 6 thousand people are subscribed. The dog was diagnosed in the same year as Carter. White spots on the black face of the dog were in the same places as on the boy’s face: around the eyes and on the lower jaw. Too many coincidences!
“Carter was shocked to see a dog that became famous for his illness,” says Stephanie.
Rhodey and Carter simply had to be friends. Of course, there was no talk of giving the boy the dog. The owner adores her dog, despite all its peculiarities. But the child was not denied an acquaintance with a hairy celebrity. And it was love at first sight. Carter and Rhodey now spend the entire weekend together.
“They became friends instantly,” Stephanie recalls. – Carter and Rhodey have known each other for only a month, but the changes are already visible. The son became much more self-confident and learned to accept his uniqueness. Maybe someday he will appreciate her.