Scars, we all have them – Physical, Emotional, Mental. Whether we can see them or not, they are there. They are part of who we are. They help shape our personality and our soul. Many of us spend years trying to fix or hide the damage that scars have created.
I have many scars, but this big one across my abdomen has been a huge hurdle to overcome. I’ve had it all my life. As a young girl and teenager, I was very self-conscious of the line and stitch marks cutting across my body. And even though I was thin and trim in my youth, I refused to wear a two piece bathing suit. I didn’t want anyone to see this mark. For years it annoyed me that it was there. If anyone did see it and ask what it was, I was quick to say that I had surgery when I was born and then change the subject. Trying not to make a big deal of it.
It wasn’t until I had kids that I started to understand the blessing that this scar denoted. Without it, I would not BE!!! Putting myself in my parents shoes and imaging what it would have been like had one of my children had needed a surgery such as mine made me realize that I shouldn’t be annoyed by this scar. The miracle of modern medicine made this incision and fixed a congenital birth defect. This has allowed me to live an amazing life full of exciting adventures. I am forever grateful for those doctors whose names I do not know who were able to keep me alive.
I bear this scar proudly now. When someone asks, I tell them I was born with a congenital diaphragmatic hernia. More importantly, I explain what it is and that mortality rates when I was born were around 50%. This scar saved my life!
This scar is a part of who I am. A part of my story that I am able to share with those who care to listen. There are others that I am still working on finding the lesson in. I am a work in progress after all! I am here to enjoy this journey called life and working hard to find my happiness every day!
Kristi Hammond