Man who was bullied as a kid for facial disease quits his job to help kids with differences

Being bullied in school affects an individual's self-confidence and self-worth in many long-lasting ways. However, one man has decided to turn his bad experience into an inspiration for school kids. Amit Ghose was diagnosed with neurofibromatosis type 1 when he was two. He had to face bullying as a kid because of his condition. Years later, he has quit his job to help children who are bullied for being different, reports Good News Network. 

Ghose took a "leap of faith" by quitting his job as a regional manager at a law firm to become a motivational speaker, according to Mirror. The condition that the 34-year-old suffers from causes tumors to grow along the nerves. Tumors grew on the left side of Ghose's face and his eye, due to which he had to get his left eye removed when he was 11. While his prosthetic was getting developed, he had to wear an eye patch for six months and that led to bullying from his classmates. He recalled, "With Halloween coming up, a kid said to me: ‘You don’t need a Halloween mask, you’ve got one for life.’ That comment absolutely broke me, I still think about it every Halloween.”

Meanwhile, Ghose was encouraged to take up a sport and he started playing cricket. He was part of his school's team at Selly Oak Academy and now he advises students to do the same. He revealed, “Nobody wanted to talk to me or sit next to me (until) I went from the boy with a funny face to the boy who plays cricket.” He uses all his experiences as part of his talks in schools. However, Ghose knows that not all schools can afford his half-day fee of $300 so he has started a GoFundMe page. He has raised about $3900 to give his talks for free in schools that can't afford it.

He gave his first speech when his manager asked him if he would like to speak at his daughter's school. He agreed and a child's mother wrote an article about his talk. Her son, Vinnie, reportedly came home from school wanting to take up football and become a motivational speaker. Vinnie had gone through multiple open heart surgeries and a heart transplant. Ghose was so encouraged after hearing Vinnie's story that he decided to quit his job and become a motivational speaker.

Ghose now feels quite comfortable in his skin. He shared with NeedtoKnow that in the past, there were times when he felt "low and depressed" because of his condition. However, over time he has come to terms with it. He said, "I can’t change how I look but can change my mindset. So I did, and now I am on a journey to help support and inspire people.” Ghose also shared that he has to often deal with comments in public. “Some people will say, ‘Oh my God... what happened to your face?’ 'Young children will often get scared and cry.' And young adults and teenagers will mock me saying, ‘Did you get run over by a train?’” he shared.

However, instead of getting discouraged, Ghose has decided to use his experiences to inspire people. He said, "I want to share my lived experiences and help inspire people, I want to educate people about the challenges and eventually normalize visible differences. The day I see the Oscars hosted by someone with a visible difference, I will feel my journey is a success.”