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Phillip's Story
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Phillip was born with a large dark area, called a giant hairy Nevus, that covered the majority of the right side of his face. When he was about three years old, he asked why his mother why he had the mark and his sister Sabrina didn’t. His mom used to tell Phillip that his birth mark was a kiss from god so that he could tell him from afar.
At age five, he came home from preschool and announced that he didn’t want the “kiss mark” anymore, that he just I wanted to be like everyone else. His mom wondered how she explain to a five-year old that they went to every doctor in town, and they were told they couldn’t help because the procedures were too expensive.
Phillip's family searched for years for an organization that would help them, and in 1997 found Fresh Start when the program's founder, Dr. Dennis Nigro, was interveiwed on TV by Geraldo Rivera.
Fresh Start has been assisting Phillip over the past seven years due to the complexity of removing this birthmark as well as seeking to achieve the best results possible by working to reduce the amount of scarring on his face. He’s not afraid anymore.
Now he gets out with the other kids and plays soccer and the violin, and is a wonderful student. Fresh Start gave him a chance to be like everyone else. He became strong and brave, and ready to face the world, whatever is out there. Today, at the age of 12, he believes his future is bright and he aspires to become a doctor, like Dr. Nigro, so that he too can make another child's dream come true. |
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