A mum whose face is covered in hundreds of tumours has hit back at cruel trolls who claim she should never have had kids after passing the condition to them.
Mercedes Christesen suffers from neurofibromatosis (NF) type one, a genetic condition that causes benign tumours to grow along a person’s nerves.
The 52-year-old was initially diagnosed when she was 19 but only had four or five tumours that doctors claimed were nothing serious.
But it was after the birth of her eldest when she was 29 that she saw an explosion of growths all over her body including her face due to hormonal changes.
Mercedes says she didn’t know that the condition was genetic when she had Louise, 27, and Emma, 24, and she was riddled with guilt when they were both diagnosed with the condition.
Shocking images show Mercedes’s face covered in lumps and she estimates she has about 200 across her entire body.
The horrified mum refused to leave the house unless it was to go to work. But when her children were diagnosed, she refused to hide away – wanting to instil a sense of confidence in them.
The gran-of-four claims she’s regularly vilified by strangers who say she should never have had kids and one cruel passerby told her that if they looked like Mercedes they’d kill themself.
Mercedes has hit back at trolls with a video on TikTok that went viral racking up more than 79,000 likes, views and comments.
Mercedes, from Boise, Idaho, USA, said: ‘I used to have gorgeous skin other than zits. The tumours started popping out rapidly after giving birth, which is normal because any hormonal change can cause tumours.
‘I hid like most people with it do. I used to cover my face with my hair, look down and I wouldn’t go out unless it was to work.’
After my kids were diagnosed, I realised I couldn’t hide because my daughters will learn that what they have is shameful.
‘I changed my outlook, I didn’t want them to be self-conscious about what they looked like. I felt horrible that I’d passed it onto them. I was never told that there was a chance I would pass it on.
‘They don’t have it as severe as me and they may not get it as severe as I do. I hope to God that they don’t.’
About a dozen people have asked me why I’ve had kids. It hurts. It makes me p*ssed, it’s none of their business.
‘Would they say that to someone who has diabetes or carries the breast cancer gene or someone with Down Syndrome? I tend not to react but you can only take so much before you call someone out so nobody else does it.
‘I was at the grocery store with Emma and a woman came up to me and said ”if I looked like you, I’d kill myself”.
‘I had to hold Emma back and I said ”well it’s a good thing you don’t”. I’m not going to meet negativity with negativity.’
Mercedes has been married to husband Rodney, 58, for 14 years and says he makes her feel beautiful ‘even with the tumours’.
Mercedes, who is unemployed due to her condition, was the first person in her family to be diagnosed with neurofibromatosis.
Louise was diagnosed with the condition when she was six while Emma was diagnosed when she was three.
*Daughter’s names have been changed
Mercedes said: ‘I got my first tumour at age six from a chicken pox scar, I didn’t have any other warning signs.
‘When I was 19, I had four or five bumps so I had one removed by a dermatologist to find out what it was. They said it was nothing serious. I didn’t get them all over my face until I was 29 after the birth of my last child. I would get a few at a time.
‘Each person with NF will get tumours at different rates and ages or not even get any visible tumours. They can grow internally on the organs. It’s progressive, they don’t go away on their own. They need to be completely severed from the nerve ending and the nerve ending needs to be killed with electricity.’
