There is no downplaying the role that a random act of kindness can play in someone's day. Even if it's small, a compliment, or a free treat, it can turn their entire mood around. Now, imagine that feeling if the act of kindness were even larger, even grander, enough to change more than just their momentary mood.
When two strangers' paths crossed, a miraculous and wonderful interaction took place, where one half was moved to help the other in a way that would turn their entire life around.
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There are, unfortunately, some people out there who have an unimaginable level of cruelty in their hearts. That cruelty then finds direction, and someone becomes a victim, leaving them with scars of all kinds that they must now carry with them.
For some of these victims, though, they're given a chance to erase some of these scars and start life anew. Taylor White was one such victim, and her story is nothing short of remarkable.
Her tale began when she was 20, having met a man she believed was a "great guy." He would slowly reveal his true colors over time, though, and evolve into a very abusive boyfriend who would change her life forever.
White still recalls the night of her 21st birthday, when that boyfriend took her out to get drunk for the first time. Once intoxicated, she remembers less, only that she was brought back to a hotel room where she woke up the next morning in pain.
She especially felt pain throughout her face, but she never could have expected what she would see in the mirror.
Her face had been tattooed while she was unconscious, plastered with what she described as "really horrible things." She hasn't provided more detail, saying it was too horrific to even describe.
She hid for a few weeks while the tattoos healed, knowing nothing could be done about them while they were still fresh. When she returned to the tattoo parlor at which she worked, she tried to cover them up with makeup, but her boss was able to spot what laid underneath.
"He said, 'You you can't live like this,'" White explained to The New York Post. Her boss then offered to "black it out" so she could "live a normal life," she said.
She agreed to his proposal and let him tattoo the entire upper half of her face black, covering up the obscenities that had been forced upon her.
Unfortunately, that approach did not give her the normal life they had both hoped for. She is now unable to find a job in her field, or really at all, due to her appearance.
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Her life changed when she chose to make a TikTok account on which she shared her story. Not only this chapter but also what her life has been like as someone with bipolar disorder, wanting to educate others about mental health and what it can look like in someone.
"I wish when I was younger, that someone had told me it's OK to not be OK, and if you need help, ask for it," she said.
Her journey inspired many, who shared her videos around, which is how she was found by a man named Karridy Askenasy, known as TheDadBot online.
He was touched by her story and her resilience, so he reached out to her with an unbelievable offer.
He said he would pay for White to get laser tattoo removal so her face could be fully freed from the ink that stained it.
White, who had been trying to get a job in the mental health industry with no luck, was touched by his offer. As Askenasy put it, "The trouble she was facing obviously had a personal effect on her. It was preventing her from doing the most good possible."
It was quite the effort to find a clinic that would be willing to do such a big job on such a sensitive area, but Askenasy found a place that not only accepted the challenge but remained at a price point that he could afford.
The clinic that agreed, called Removery, even took it one step further by providing the procedure at no cost.
This is no overnight job, though. Tattoo removal already takes quite some time, and given the density of White's ink, Removery's VP of clinical operations says it could take "upwards of two years" for White's face to be clear. "It's a gradual process, but one that yields permanent, life-changing results."
But she doesn't mind, she's happy she's getting this opportunity at all. Thanks to all this kindness from so many different people, she'll be able to erase an extremely dark moment of her life that's suck with her for over 15 years.
She's already had her first removal session and was smiling the entire way through it despite the pain.
"I'm not having it removed purely for cosmetic reasons," she said. "This is really removing a part of me that I no longer represent or live in."
You are more than your trauma, and you can overcome the pain it has caused you. For a simple yet impactful place to start your healing journey, click here.
Now, there have been some doubts regarding Taylor's story, with some people claiming it couldn't be proven true or outright claiming that it was entirely false. There's even an hour-long YouTube video from a tattoo-focused creator explaining why she believes Taylor is lying.
Askenasy directly addresses this in a video, too. When someone informs in that her story may not be entirely true, he responds, "Why do you care? I don't care. [...] It doesn't matter to me. I knew going in that my intention was to help someone who was struggling with the remnants of her past. [...] My number one concern is getting her in a better place where she can continue to help others."
No matter what we've been through, we all deserve a chance to heal, to grow past a part of ourselves we no longer wish to carry around. This is no easy task, and not all the marks left by these events can be erased by a laser. It will take work, it will take kindness, but it's so worth it to see the life that exists on the other side.
So, no matter how long it's been or what you've been left with, be kind to yourself. Reach out to others if you need to. You are worth the work it will take to grow.
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