A YOUNG woman has hit back at cruel trolls who dub her ‘The Hulk’ because she was born with a rare condition.
Olivia Klopchin, 20, from Springfield, Vermont, US, was diagnosed with a vascular malformation at just two months old.
Olivia Klopchin was diagnosed with the rare condition when she was just 2 months old[/caption]
While cruel bullies taunt her, Olvia knows she is beautiful[/caption]
Olivia revealed that in her case, it predominantly affects the veins on her left arm, making it look larger.
The veins on her arm are unusually wide and constantly expand, causing the blood to clot and swell.
At first, doctors thought it was just a bruise, but Olivia’s arm grew larger as she got older.
It wasn’t until Olivia reached her teenage years that bullies started to taunt her.
Speaking on Truly, the young woman said: “Some of the worst things people have said, it’s mostly been online.
“I think I was 12 and somebody messaged me who I went to school with. Out of pure anger, they just called me the Hulk.”
While it upset Olivia at the time, she says she knows she is a beautiful person and wanted to be an advocate for body positivity rather than let the bullies win.
She then began to post on social media to help others going through similar experiences.
“I personally had never seen anybody with it before,” she explained.
“I wanted to bring awareness. It’s important for me because I felt lost when I was younger because the only people I’d ever seen with anything similar to me were in a hospital.”
Now Olivia boasts thousands of followers online who praise her for sharing her story.
She shared that now, she wants to keep up with her social media to show others to stop hiding their differences.
“My message for the world from my story is that everybody is beautiful and all of our differences define who we are as a person and we should stop hiding them,” she added.
“I am just a beautiful person,” she continued. “Nothing is ever going to be able to affect that.”
What Is a Venous Malformation (VM)?
“A venous malformation (VM) is a place in the body where veins haven’t developed in the usual way.
Veins in a VM tend to be larger and more tangled than normal veins.
A venous (VEE-nis) malformation close to the skin usually looks like a maroon, blue, or purple spot.”
Kids who have VMs are born with them. A VM might not be visible until later when it has gotten bigger or its veins have stretched.”
Venous malformations that are deep in the muscles or body might not be found until a child has pain or swelling. A VM grows as a child grows, and also might be more noticeable in response to injury or partial removal.”
Source: Kidshealth
The YouTube clip soon went viral with over 35,000 views and many took to the comments to praise Olivia.
One person wrote: “I do not understand how anyone can make fun of someone with a medical condition or any kind of difference. People are just cruel. She is such a beautiful, confident woman.”
Another commented: “How in the world could anyone bully this brave beautiful young woman? Very cruel.”
“Are you kidding? She is stunning,” penned a third.
Meanwhile, a fourth said: “What a beautiful and inspiring young lady. I wish her only the best! She is a fabulous role model for body positivity.”
“Such a strong woman,” claimed a fifth.
Someone else added: “Cool girl! All the power to her and her future.”
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