With the rise of social media, we’re constantly seeing images of perfect-looking people, making the world seem even more focused on appearances.
For those who don’t fit this “perfect” mold, life can be tough, with strangers feeling the need to criticize others based on their looks.
Karine de Souza knows this all too well. The Brazilian woman has a rare skin condition that requires her to cover her skin in SPF100 sunscreen, even when she’s indoors.
At age three, Karine was diagnosed with Xeroderma Pigmentosum, a rare condition that makes her very sensitive to sunlight and puts her at high risk for skin cancer.
This condition, which has no cure, means her skin can’t repair damage from UV rays. Just a few minutes in the sun can lead to very painful sunburns for her. As a child, she had to stay inside most of the time because being outside was too dangerous.
She explains, “I don’t feel anything right away when I’m in the sun, but later on, I get painful lesions that need to be removed because of cancer.”
Karine has had 130 surgeries to remove lesions caused by the sun, including parts of her lower lip and nose.
But her challenges go beyond physical pain. She often gets stared at and has faced verbal abuse both in person and online.
Despite all this, Karine stays positive and happy. She even found love with her husband, Edmilson, whom she met through social media. Edmilson was drawn to her story and strength, and he’s always been by her side, knowing he wanted to spend his life with her.
He also decided to embrace Karine’s three children from her previous relationship, which of course, meant a lot to Karine.
”He came and he showed me that I could live a true love story”, she says.
But after posting photos of them together online, Karine was once again exposed to a whole host of offensive comments.
”We have already read many offensive comments calling me a monster, deformed, a zombie,” Karine said, as per the Daily Mail.
Other comments suggested that their relationship wasn’t genuine and that Karine was a ”sugar mommy,” and that she must be very rich.
”Because of the fact he’s a young man and pretty, that caught people’s attention and they didn’t believe that he was with me because he really liked me,” Karine said.
A photographer who captured the couple after they got engaged posted a selection of the images online and wrote:
”In a world where appearance matters more than the feeling, they met not by chance, but by a gathering of souls, an encounter of acceptance and character and love emerged when their souls met and today you are the inspiration to so many people who do not believe in themselves, in life and especially in love.
“THANK YOU every day for being who you are. STOP complaining for being like you are. HUG LIFE, and accept yourself. Much gratitude for teaching me so much. You guys are AMAZING. You are the missing hope in so many people. Thank you for the big hug, and for the wonderful day we experienced together. I carry your smile with me forever.”
His heartfelt words and beautiful images he captured of Karine and Edmilson went viral, and thousands of people commented, congratulating the couple.
Karine wants others to realize the importance of being positive.
”Be happy, smile, because life happens only once,” she said.
In 2023, Karine and Edmílson welcomed a baby girl into the world, and they couldn’t be happier! Their daughter, Zaia, was long awaited – Karine and her husband had been trying for a baby since 2020.
Karine has been through so much but thanks to her positive attitude she has found the happiness she deserves.
Her story is inspirational so help us inspire others in similar situations by sharing this story with your friends and family.
Mom discovers son kneeling in prayer in Walmart
One day, young Braydon went shopping with his mother at the large US grocery store Walmart. But it wasn’t long before his mother became frightened when she discovered Braydon had vanished.
His mother found him after frantic, terrified searching for a few minutes.
Her initial thought was to chastise him for abandoning her. Yet she paused to consider why when she noticed him kneeling and praying in front of a sign board. She then looked at the wall more closely.
The worst nightmare of any parent is losing a child, even if it’s just temporarily. It is, of course, not unusual, particularly in areas with high pedestrian traffic, such shopping centers and huge grocery shops. At least for Braydon’s mother. She was eager to finish her shopping at Walmart, one of the biggest and busiest retail companies in the world, as soon as possible.
Faith Tap reports that Braydon’s mother stated, “I had to run into Walmart.” I looked back to make sure my son was by my side.
But he wasn’t. In a matter of moments, Braydon had plotted to distance himself from his mother.
When she finally located him, Braydon was knelt in front of a sign. He was in prayer. She asked him what he was doing since she was taken aback. But as she drew nearer to the board and looked, she was able to make sense of her son’s behavior.
It said, “Every second counts,” on the board. There were photographs of missing children next to those words. After seeing the board and leaving his mother’s side, little Braydon prayed to God that the kids would go back to their homes.
The heartwarming picture and the narrative that went with it went popular on the internet very fast. After seeing Braydon’s tale, the Facebook page for Aubrey Jayce Carroll, an adolescent boy who has been missing since 2016, made the decision to write a tribute to him.
“I would like to thank you for your prayers for these children, even if I am not sure who this little guy is. Aubrey Carroll is one of my cousins out there. I’m definitely impacted by this. I would love to thank this child in person if I knew where he was or who he was.
Since then, Facebook users have shared the picture of Braydon kneeling in front of the board more than 115,000 times.
You will agree that 800,000 or more children in the US are reported missing each year, according to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
It’s best summarized by a Facebook commentator on the image: “It truly doesn’t matter whether or not you believe in God. This young person in Walmart was thinking of other people and trying to help as much as he could. If more people emulated him, the world would be a better place.
Well done, mom! You’re doing something right—foundation is essential!
Bless his heart, God. I adore how deeply his faith permeates his consciousness.
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