I was bullied for my ‘lanky limbs’ and ‘deformed hands’ – I tried to take my own life and just wanted to look ‘normal’

A YOUNG mum with a uncommon information causing agelong limbs and “deformed hands” tried to extremity her ain beingness arsenic teen aft being called a “freak” successful school.

Zoe Ridgway, a 32-year-old mum to Sofia, 12, from Aberdare, South Wales, was diagnosed with Marfan syndrome astatine the property of 12.

As a teen she grew unusually agelong limbs and her tallness soared to 6ft (1.83m).

She was bullied for her looks astatine schoolhouse which she believes severely impacted her intelligence health – resulting successful aggregate suicide attempts and depression successful her teens.

Now, Zoe has 36-inch agelong legs and a a 5ft 10in (1.78m) limb span – but contempt her tallness she has size six feet.

She says her information has besides near her with nervus harm resulting “deformed” hands, arsenic good arsenic agelong fingers, crowded teeth, and a hollow face.

Along with everyone successful her family, Zoe besides has Ehlers-Danlos syndrome – a information that causes flexible joints and stretchy and fragile skin.

Combined with Marfan syndrome, it means Zoe finds walking precise difficult.

The mum started having filler injections successful her lips, jaw and cheekbones to boost her confidence.

Zoe, who does not enactment due to the fact that of her disability, said: “Bullying had a monolithic interaction connected my mental health and with the mode I thought I looked, radical utilized to accidental I was a freak.

“I tried to instrumentality my ain beingness arsenic a teen a fewer times due to the fact that of my self-esteem and I struggled with my intelligence wellness large clip – I decidedly had depression.

“I effort to alteration my look by having fillers due to the fact that I tin spot I person Marfan syndrome and I don’t privation different radical to spot it, I conscionable wanted to look normal.

“I ever archer my girl she’s beauteous wrong and out, and that she’s perfect, and I don’t privation her to turn up wanting to alteration her look similar I did.”

From the infinitesimal she was born, Zoe said her parent knew “there was thing not right” with her.

She was often described arsenic a “floppy baby” and was flat-footed – so, she had to deterioration a custom-made brace to enactment her ankles and feet passim childhood.

At the property of three, Zoe was diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome - a radical of uncommon inherited conditions that impact connective insubstantial successful the assemblage that enactment the skin, tendons, ligaments, humor vessels, interior organs and bones.

Both her mum and dad’s broadside of the household person Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, and they judge they are 1 of the largest families successful Europe to person it.

As Zoe she entered her aboriginal teens, doctors became acrophobic astir her weight, fearing she mightiness person anorexia arsenic she was “so skinny and lanky”.

After years of tests, she was diagnosed with mitral valve prolapse - a bosom information that occurs erstwhile the flaps of the mitral valve agelong oregon enlarge and bulge into the near atrium - and Marfan syndrome astatine the property of 12.

Because of her bosom condition, Zoe has heart palpitations, fainting spells and has small energy.

“It was frightening much than anything,” said Zoe.

“I retrieve not being capable to judge having Marfan due to the fact that I’d already been diagnosed with thing else.

“It was rather a daze – I’d ever been a large scholar truthful I researched a batch astir it and could spot I had the symptoms but erstwhile I told radical I had it, nary 1 knew what it was.”

Confidence boost

As a teenager, she grew “very gangly and rather lanky looking” with precise agelong limbs, yet reaching 6ft.

She said she was bullied astatine schoolhouse for her quality and remembers being thrown down stairs, having her caput shoved successful a bin, and being called names specified arsenic “freak” connected her locomotion home.

This near her feeling highly self-conscious then, and it continues to impact her.

“People don’t realise but I’m inactive precise self-conscious, particularly astir my hands and my limbs being long,” Zoe explained.

“It’s truly hard due to the fact that radical don’t ever deliberation I person thing incorrect with me, but I tin spot it, and it’s hard to explicate to people.”

To “feel much confident”, astatine the property of 29, Zoe began having dermal fillers injected nether the tegument to springiness her look a fuller appearance.

She has had them successful her jaw and cheekbones, arsenic good arsenic her lips to “help fell her underbite”.

When she goes for check-ups astatine the cardiology clinic, she often sees others with Marfan syndrome, which helps her consciousness little alone.

She is the lone idiosyncratic successful her household to person the information and is “very glad” her girl does not, arsenic determination was a 50 per cent accidental she would.

Zoe said: “[My family] recognize my information successful presumption of having associated problems but not however it affects my quality and the interaction it tin person connected your intelligence health.”

Feeling little unsocial

Since 2020, she has been posting astir Marfan syndrome connected TikTok to assistance rise consciousness and has recovered a assemblage she tin subordinate to.

She present has much than 22,500 followers and her astir fashionable video connected the taxable has much than 79,000 views.

She said: “I started posting successful the February due to the fact that it’s Marfan syndrome consciousness month.

"I effort to station relatable things for radical with Marfan and thatch radical astir it.

“I link with rather a batch of radical with Marfans connected determination actually, I connected with idiosyncratic yesterday from Africa, and that was truly nice.

“A batch of radical person messaged maine saying convey you for raising consciousness astir it and radical person said they deliberation they person it due to the fact that of my videos, past they’ve had a diagnosis.

“I find it truly important to dispersed that awareness.”

Around 2 years agone Zoe started dating aft splitting up with a spouse and recovered it hard to archer radical astir her condition.

She said: “I recovered it truly hard to unfastened up to radical – I deliberation dating was a large happening for me, trying to explicate to radical that I wasn’t well, and a batch of radical conscionable thought that I was making it up due to the fact that I looked similar determination was thing incorrect with me.”

However, erstwhile she met her existent partner, helium was precise supportive and day-to-day makes definite she is taking her medications.

She is presently taking beta blockers, beardown painkillers, and supplements to assistance negociate her pain.

She struggles to locomotion – though she has a wheelchair, Zoe says she’s “stubborn and tries not to usage it”, adjacent though her hips consciousness arsenic though they person “dislocated” erstwhile walking.

Looking to the future, she hopes to proceed raising consciousness astir her condition.