People are cruel and unfortunately, often take to social media to spew their hatred. A couple from the UK are the latest victims of cyberbullying to discuss the horrible remarks people make about their kids, who were both born with life-threatening brain conditions that will likely take them from this world at a young age.
Charlotte Smith, 29, and Tom Harding, 26, document their life on social media. They candidly discuss the difficulties of raising two children with physical and developmental disabilities. Daughter Ava-Grace, 4, and son Henry, 2, have both been diagnosed with lissencephaly and microcephaly, brain disorders that do not allow for normal development, according to the New York Post. The family is on a journey, and instead of receiving support, they often see the ugliness in the world.
The children's diagnoses were shocking.
The parents were reportedly "traumatized" by their children's diagnoses. They told needtoknow.online, reported the New York Post. They had to completely alter their lives to accommodate taking care of their kids.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, microcephaly is a condition where a baby's head is much smaller than normal. This can happen for many reasons, including the brain not developing properly in the womb or not growing after birth.
Lissencephaly, often referred to as "smooth brain" is a rare condition that is often genetic, but can be caused by nongenetic factors as well, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Children with lissencephaly have severe developmental delays. The children are not expected to live past age 10.
Ava and Henry require round-the-clock care.
Because of their delays, Smith said that they will never surpass the development level of a 3-month-old baby. They will never talk, walk, or sit upright. She fears they will never be able to interact with anything during their lifetimes.
The parents cannot work, so they receive government assistance to help care for their children. This has caused trolls to leave awful comments about the family on their TikTok videos. Some even question whether their children actually have disabilities.
Smith often defends the family's lifestyle.
Smith often posts videos on TikTok and mentions that she is giving her children the best life she can. In one video, she explains that they didn't know about Ava and Henry's diagnoses until after they were born. "We didn't purposely have two disabled children," she says.
According to the NY Post, "Others have said: 'They need putting down, no quality of life,' and it's hurtful, but we try not to listen to them," she continued. "A lot of the toxic comments are deleted, but we still don't understand why people feel the need to do this."
It is heartbreaking that she even needs to defend her parenting or her children. Thankfully, the family does have support from people who love them and thank them for raising awareness.
"Cried when you said 'we didn't have disabled kids on purpose' the fact there's people out there making you feel you need to explain that, omg ❤️," someone wrote.
Despite the ugliness in the world, the parents continue to share videos about their children.
Building awareness of lissencephaly and microcephaly is important to the family. Between their social media platforms, they have amassed a following of nearly 100,000. There is more support than hate, and they continue to share almost daily. Smith even has a bit of a sense of humor about her life and calls herself and Harding "shattered parents" in many of her videos.
Disability awareness is big on social media.
Smith is not alone. Many people use social media to talk about their disabilities. Search #disabilityawarenes, and you will find thousands of videos discussing what it is like to live with a disability.
You'll also find a lot of pride and happiness. It is OK to be different, and we must recognize and respect those differences. Everyone needs to be kind to everyone. All the time.
