Evans Ofori

For a very long time, I disliked my syringoma. Many times people referred to it as “acne” and i was suggested different products to clear it. I tried it. It didn’t work. At that time I thought it was acne because everyone told me that it was. I didn’t like the colour of my skin growing up. I hated when kids at school would turn off the lights and say “Where is Evans?” I used to be a big boy with a big butt and would hate when my mother would taunt me. It broke down my self-esteem – I just couldn’t feel or believe that I was beautiful.  I slowly became depressed without knowing it.  It started off as a feeling of sadness and not liking what I saw and progressed to finding it hard to get out of bed, feeling like every day was a hassle to get through.  I even found showering to be a chore.  But at that time, I didn’t know what depression was.  I just thought, “This is how I am”.  Eventually, the negativity I experienced motivated me to take control of my narrative – I wanted to feel right and get my mind right. I ran everyday, determine to lose weight. I guess I used the negativity to fuel me into telling them to shut the f#@$ up! I then learned to take care of my skin and learned what syringoma actually was, that it was something normal for my skin.  I learned how to embrace it because I personally didn’t hate it. I think I took on the projection of what people felt about my skin and took it as my own. As I embraced my skin, I began to realize the true beauty within. I learned how to love myself and now I feel absolutely beautiful because I feel beautiful within. And I embody my authenticity and what makes me stand out.