Aimee Cornish was born with a birthmark that endangered her sight and destroyed her confidence – but surgery gave her a second chance at a normal life.
Aimee Cornish is beautiful, with a winning smile that could stop traffic. But the 20-year-old Wellington student admits it hasn’t always been this way.
As a child, Aimee was desperately shy and always careful to avoid drawing attention to herself. She had an enormous strawberry birthmark that stretched across her face, promoting endless stares, comments and questions from those around her.
“People wanted to know about it everywhere I went,” says Aimee.
“They would ask, ‘Did someone hit you? Does it hurt? Can I touch it?'” The questions were never-ending.”
Aimee wasn’t born with the bright-red mark but a few days after her birth vivid red lines began to appear. Within a few weeks the mark was the size of a golf ball. Dealing with people’s questions was always uncomfortable for Aimee but she says it was worse for her parents.
“When I was a baby, some people thought my mum and dad had hurt me,” she says. “They assumed my birthmark was a big cut or bruise. on top of that, I had to have steroid injections to treat the mark. But every time I had them it stunted my growth for three months, which caused even more concern.”
It wasn’t just the curiosity of others Aimee had to deal with. The growth was putting pressure on her eye and her sight was deteriorating. If the mark was left untreated, she ran the risk of blindness.
“oy parents and their friends were praying for a miracle,” says Aimee. “Then a lady at church told my parents she believed the Lord had told her my birthmark would be healed ‘at the hand of a man.'” The prediction was about to come true.
After nine years of searching for a doctor who could help, Aimee’s family finally heard about surgeon Swee Tan, who specialises in corrective surgery. They immediately made an appointment, hopeful he could find a solution. But at the time, many birthmark removals were seen as cosmetic surgery so expensive private fees applied.
“There was no way we could afford the $24,000 it would cost. My family was devastated but Swee Tan didn’t want to give up. He said everyone should have equal rights and he would push for it to be one of the few funded cases.”
Aimee was asked to wait another year in the hope that the mark would fade.
“Unfortunately, the difference in that year was hardly noticeable,” says Aimee. “I was still really shy and had grown a fringe to hide as much of the mark as I could. Then, when I was 11, Dr Swee Tan told us he had received government funding and was able to operate.
“The thing is, to begin with I wasn’t excited – I was scared. I had been in and out of hospitals my whole life and they frightened me. I was nervous about the treatment but knowing the mark would be gone made me braver.”
Aimee courageously went ahead with the treatment. And after five laser treatments to fade the colour, and a final operation to remove the growth, she was able to start high school with no finger-pointing or questions. If it wasn’t for the surgery, says the sports science student, she might not be the strong and vital person she is now.
“The change in me has been huge. My confidence has grown and I am not so self-conscious any more.
“When you meet people a good first impression counts, and now people can see me, not my birthmark. I don’t wear make-up and have grown my fringe out.”
Aimee says she owes everything to her surgeon, who gave her a second chance at a normal life.
“Knowing I may have gone blind is awful to think about,” she says. “I can’t thank my surgeon enough. He is such a blessing, and so skilled at his work.
“I believe God used him to heal me and I’m really thankful for that.”
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