Having a distinctive facial feature from birth made a girl from Slough, Berkshire, stand out. Her parents decided to have her surgery to fix it because the attention she received wasn’t encouraging or nice.

A 26-week ultrasound of Connie Lloyd revealed an illogical shadow on her nose before she was born in Slough, Berkshire. However, she appeared healthy and problem-free when she was welcomed in September 2008.

She had a distinct red stain on the tip of her tiny nose by the time she was a day old, which Zara Green and Tom Lloyd observed. At first, the couple thought it was a pressure mark from the delivery.

They were informed that it was a typical birthmark even though the mark had darkened and became lumpy two weeks later. The spot had widened by 1.5 inches by the time she was a month old.

Green noted how shocked they were to see their daughter’s new nose and how different she appeared, yet they still recognized tiny Connie. Their primary care physician recommended they visit a specialist at the Great Ormond Street Hospital.

The benign tumor known as a haemangioma in their daughter has been identified. When the child was four weeks old, the birthmark was fully visible and the child had to contend with having a bright red “clown’s nose” that she didn’t want and that was also expanding internally.

The daughter of Green simply wanted to resemble her mother because she found it difficult to look different. Connie’s parents were unaware that, in the absence of the mark, she would eventually grow up to be a stunning young lady.

How Has Connie’s Appearance Changed?

Because of her illness, Connie had to put up with being teased, mocked, and called names since birth. Connie had a severe illness for which there was no known treatment, and Green terrified that her child would be picked to portray Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer in a Christmas play.

Her parents were “constantly worried” due to the tumor’s growth because the doctor warned that she could bleed to death if she cut or grazed the mark. Tom and his partner discovered therapies that prevented the tumor from enlarging, but nothing could get rid of it.

Connie was the seventh child in the UK born in 2011 to try using propranolol to prevent the tumor from expanding. Those with cardiac issues often took the prescribed medication.

It was tough for Green to hear the 18-month-old girl tell her mother that she disliked her nose. Because of her daughter’s negative preschool experiences, the parent felt compelled to take action because she wanted to do more for her child.

She and Tom began looking for second opinions and birthmark removal methods. The mother of Connie observed that the other kids in her daughter’s playgroup were intrigued about her illness and would poke it, which the young girl found “very upsetting.”

The school photographer even asked Green whether they could airbrush remove their daughter’s birthmark for the final class shot! The request offended the parent because they cherished every aspect of Connie for who she was.

The mother of the child felt they needed to act quickly when she realized her daughter would endure that suffering for the whole of her school years. Until they located Dr. Iain Hutchison, a surgeon who specializes in repairing facial disfigurements, she and her search companion were unsuccessful.

Despite the treatment not being advised for children under ten, he operated on young Connie in March 2011 to remove the tumor and left her with a minor scar. Green admitted that her infant had been wary of people who made comments about and pointed at her nose before the surgery. The young girl was so embarrassed that she even turned her head.

The family’s trip to Hutchison was also a nightmare, and the mother would hide the girl in the car to avoid cruel remarks from bystanders. Tom’s partner claimed that the hours-long wait for Connie’s surgery to end was the longest wait ever.

The outcome, however, was great when the young child reported that her nose resembled that of her mother. The fact that Connie was flourishing and had gathered a sizable group of friends made her parents happy!

However, the pupil [Connie Lloyd] ignored the disparaging remarks.

In 2013, Green was still curious about how her kid would have fared in school if the operation hadn’t been performed. The mother wondered if her child would have felt at home and if making friends would have come naturally to her.

How Does Connie’s Life Currently Look?

Connie was 13 years old by December 2021 and had become a champion for the UK organization Saving Faces, which supports people with birthmarks. When she was younger, her mark was supposed to dissipate, but as she grew older, it became larger and darker.

Green claimed that her daughter was still taunted after the operation but that she was empowering herself by using what she had learned to assist others. Connie began having breathing problems when she was two years old, which contributed to the need for the tumor removal operation. Her mother said the following about her courageous daughter:

The finest Christmas present ever would be if Connie’s tale could even simply help one child or family deal with facial damage.

Despite other kids being overly nasty, Tom’s daughter has a very mature attitude about her scar as she gets older. Although Connie no longer had the red mark physically, her school friends and other individuals could still see her childhood photos online because we now live in the age of the internet.

Green said that her daughter had bullies at school who approached her and yelled “Rudolph” even when she was a teenager. The student, however, dismissed the disparaging remarks, as her mother noted:

She is content and self-assured in her own skin and owns her scar.

She was now concentrating on educating people about birthmarks and generating money for the nonprofit organization that worked to prevent facial injuries. Connie’s mother said she merely wanted everyone to feel equal and appreciated for who they were.

Connie, 14, posted a picture of herself pouting and wearing sunglasses in the backseat of a car on Facebook in August 2022. A devoted supporter praised her for being “gorgeous” despite the fact that her nose scar was scarcely noticeable.