Hi, you are “face to face with Shell”.
Please watch the video below and read on. Links to the other pages/videos in this series are at the end:
I was always very forthcoming about what happened and didn’t have a problem with telling people but not everyone is the same. It is totally up to you. One day you may want to explain what happened and another day maybe not so much.
I was 13 when I was involved in the explosion. It made the national news, therefore, people knew who I was. Some people would come up to me and give me small gifts of money, which was lovely. It was like that they were saying, “everything is going to be alright”.
I was very lucky, in that, everyone in my community was very supportive and the same was true at school”.
I would always go out with someone at the beginning. I just felt that I couldn’t face it alone.
If someone would ask about my scars, I found that sometimes others would get more upset that someone had asked me.
Everything was a learning experience and everyone is different. The way I coped/cope may not be the way you cope. I am just trying to help you by giving my experiences, and hopefully, you will be able to connect with what I am saying.
Maybe you are thinking: “Yeah that’s what I do” or “Wow, I never thought of that”. You are also maybe thinking: “Yeah, it’s ok for her telling me all this, I am at the start of my journey”. I was like you, everyone telling me that it would get better….guess what…IT DID!
There will always be a situation that you have not encountered before or a time when you are just not prepared for.
When people stare or make comments to you, they forget that it hurts, they forget that you are a person that has gone through horrendous pain to get these scars. They have no idea what you have gone through. You have found the courage to show yourself to the world, the new you. Then on top of this; you have to deal with people staring and commenting on the way you look, increasing your hurt.
I personally would prefer someone asked me what has happened, rather than stare.
Sometimes a smile is the best response and to walk away, if you need to.
I hope that I have helped you in some way by sharing my experiences and by giving you some helpful tips on how to deal with comments and stares from others.
Stay safe, stay strong, and we’ll chat soon.
Below are links to the other pages in the series: