Post by Admin on Mar 25, 2018 8:28:23 GMT -4
Woman Who Was Teased About Being Different, Is Now Making Money Moves Because Of It Posted On Haitian native Berlange Presilus, 28, was teased as a child as she was mocked for being different. Because Presilus was not born in the United States, when she attended school as a child, she was made fun of because of the way she spoke. The children in school made her feel miserable as she was teasing for speaking different and looking different. Embarrassed by her looks, she tried to cover herself but the pain was too much to bear. At one point, she thought of ending her life but her mother intervened and reminded her that life is precious. To push through the pain, Presilus found a way to channel her negative thoughts as she developed a love for fashion. That love for fashion would eventually pay off and turn her life around. Embarrassed By Her Looks, She Tried To Hide: As a child, Berlange Presilus would often ask herself why she looked the way she did. Despite the fact that her parents often called her beautiful, Presilus didn’t feel beautiful. In fact, she hated herself. At the age of 12, she was teased in school because she spoke different and looked different. Her body was changing and she noticed that her leg was discolored with clusters of swollen and twisted varicose veins. Not only was this physically painful but it was emotionally painful for her as well. To make matters worse, no one seemed to know why her leg was discolored and why it caused her so much pain. My life consisted of a little bit of schooling – because I was out of school so many times due to my pain – church and doctors, Presilus said The Weight She Carries. I saw dermatologists and vein specialists and surgeons, and got a whole bunch of referrals just to turn around and get the same results: ‘We cannot help you; we’ve never seen something like this. You’re too young to have all this vein malformation.’ And that only made me feel worse. You can only imagine, I was already at my worst and the people I believe in to help me are telling me this. With no one being able to help, Presilus thought about ending her life, but her mother encouraged her to keep on living. So, she decided to push past the pain, Instead of focusing on the negative, Presilus focused on the positive and began working towards accomplishing her dreams. As a child in Haiti, she shared how she dreamed of being a model because none of the models in the magazines looked like her. After moving to Florida at the age of 12, took fashion classes and even worked at a boutique. Fashion became her passion. Despite being in love with modeling, she was still embarrassed about her leg and she often hid it from others. From there, I started doing it more, taking pictures…and that’s how it all began, Presilus said. But it was always an issue with my leg. I always hid it. No matter how much I was going to get paid to do a show where I would have to show my leg, I would find an excuse. I would say I was sick just because I didn’t want to own that aspect of my life, or my truth. No Longer Scared, She Was Ready To Be Revealed: After enduring physical pain for years with no information on her condition, Presilus sought a doctor in Cuba who finally revealed the information that she had been seeking for years. After battling her condition. Presilus, was finally diagnosed with Klippel Trenaunay Syndrome (KTS) at 22 years old. According to The Weight She Carries, KTS is a rare disorder that affects the development of skin, muscles and bones. Characteristics of this syndrome include a port-wine stain (birthmark), abnormal overgrowth of soft tissue and bones, vein malformations and chronic pain. I was excited, I was relieved, but at the same time I was so sad because there is no cure for it, Presilus said. But still, I was so excited because now I knew what it was, and I could do research to see if there was anybody out there that was like me! While Presilus had always tried to hide her medical condition, she began to do some soul searching as she asked God for guidance. After years of hiding her pain, she realized that her purpose in life is to raise awareness of KTS while teaching others to love the skin their in. Presilus now understood the power she had in teaching others that it’s ok to be different. Comfortable with who she is, Presilus continues to model as she also serves as a motivational speaker. She travels the world to share her story. When she is not speaking about KTS, Presilus lives in Toronto, Canada. Her legs are probably tired as the Haitian beauty is pretty busy. Berlange Presilus is a Jobst ambassador and the model on the Samsung Galaxy S5 commercial, Babies “R” Us, Johnny Walker commercial, and Mac cosmetics. In addition, she has been featured in BET shows as well as she has been the face of Marriott Billboards. Black Girl Magic!
