Young girl’s incredible transformation leaves Karl Stefanovic speechless
It’s hard enough being a teenager no matter who you are or what you look like, but for Chloe Towney, it was particularly difficult. Born with a birthmark covering a substantial portion of her face, Chloe’s parents were told it was only temporary and would fade, but it never did.
Her mum and dad were told by doctors to have it removed at a young age, but Chloe’s mum Sue couldn’t bear to put her little girl through the pain. Instead, she decided to use the birthmark to teach her daughter about the importance of self-worth and that beauty comes from within, not simply the outside.
“We decided we would give her the tools and confidence as she grows up and faces some hassles along the way,” Sue told 9Honey.
The lesson clearly worked, with Chloe accepting her difference even in the face of bullying. “I’ve always just believed in myself and thought I look fine and I had wisdom off my mother and my father to tell me that it was okay,” she said of her experience as a child. “I had a really good support system back then, which was good.”
However, high school posed a new problem for Chloe – the bullying only became harsher and more frequent. “I just wanted it off because I just didn’t want anyone to see what I looked like. And self-image was a very big thing for me back then, especially for a child who was 12 going on 13.”
Both Chloe and her parents had been waiting for the right time to have it removed when the opportunity arose for the then-17-year-old to share her story on This Time Next Year.
“We’d look into it and she’d have a few days where she’d go through that and I'd tell her it was up to her if she got it removed,” Sue explained. “But we wanted to leave it up to her.”
Thirteen painful sessions of laser treatment later, Chloe, now 18, has never felt more comfortable and confident in her own skin. “It’s still there, it’s just lighter,” she revealed. “I still have the outline and the colour of it but it’s very light to the point it blends in with my skin.”
As happy as she is to have it gone, however, Chloe admits she’s grateful for having the birthmark during her formative years. “I found true friends that actually care for me, love and adore me, and it’s just amazing, life is good.”
What a wonderful attitude. To see her transformation, scroll through the gallery above.