Recently, a relieved mother recounted the touching moment her little daughter said goodbye to a birthmark on her forehead. not without first taking a hit from the medical establishment.
A rare birthmark
Discover the tale of Vienna Shaw, Celine Casey’s two-year-old daughter, who was born with a rare birthmark on her forehead called a congenital melanocytic nevus (CMN), which affects just one newborn out of every 20,000. Celine was worried when she learned about the birthmark since she didn’t know what it would signify for her kid and thought that she might have erred in some way while she was pregnant. All she knew was that she wanted it gone, that her daughter should not grow up feeling any different.
But the surgery wasn’t easy to achieve.=
The family received depressing responses when they asked the NHS for help. The removal of the mark would be considered a cosmetic procedure, thus doctors were unable to proceed with the procedure.
However, the parents had a different perspective. They were terrified that other children would make fun of her and harm her mental health at an early age. In addition, Casey was worried that her daughter might grow to dislike her and her boyfriend if the birthmark wasn’t removed.
The parents made the independent decision to take action and gather the required funds in private. Within a day of setting up crowdfunding, they had raised $52,000. However, hospital expenses rose in 2020, necessitating an additional US $27,000 in funding. They at last achieved their objective with a fresh funding proposal.
They faced hard times with doctors.
Opinions have rifted over a disagreement between the parents and the medical staff. Vienna’s parents requested that the mark be surgically removed, but the surgeon turned down the request. The surgeon’s stance is predicated on the idea that the child alone should have the authority to decide this when she reaches adulthood.
Vienna’s father, Daniel Brookshaw, voiced his dissatisfaction with the doctor’s assessment once the incident broke out. In addition, the doctor described speaking with a dermatologist who concurred with the surgeon, stating that Vienna’s health was not in danger and that the mark was not malignant.
However, the surgery went well.
Vienna’s birthmark has been successfully removed by her doctors at the age of two, leaving only a small scar in the space between her eyebrows. On social media, Casey often shares updates on tiny Shaw’s scar and healing journey, and her fans remark on how adorable her little child looks.
Casey disclosed that despite the birthmark being removed, they still needed to travel between cities to assess how her scar was healing and ascertain whether she would need any other treatments in addition to the three she had already had. At this point, Shaw is acting like any other two-year-old.
The story of Vienna and her birthmark clarifies the complex interplay between parental support and a child’s right to medical autonomy. Vienna’s parents yearned for her social acceptance and well-being, but medical experts stressed the importance of honouring Vienna’s future bodily autonomy. The girl’s narrative prompts broader observations on the rights of minors in the medical field and serves as a reminder of the difficult ethical issues that arise when traversing the limits between parental authority and individual autonomy.
Preview photo credit viennarosebrookshaw / Instagram, viennarosebrookshaw / Instagram, Celine Casey / Facebook
