A MAN has shared his experience of relentless trolling and hounding after being falsely accused of getting a ”12-year-old” pregnant due to her appearance.
Lyndsey, a 24-year-old from the UK, had a rare form of cancer as a child which affected her development and caused her to have an exceptionally youthful appearance.
Despite being accused of having an ‘under-age’ relationship, the two were actually set up by Lyndsey’s mother[/caption]
Lyndsey was told by medical professionals that she would have a difficult time conceiving because her condition[/caption]
Now a mum-of-two, Lyndsey faced brutal online trolling when she first announced that she and her husband, Jonathon, were pregnant, with many slamming the pair for being in an ”age gap relationship”.
In a YouTube documentary posted by Truly, Jonathan confessed that at first he thought his wife-to-be was only 12 or 13 years old.
However he later realised that Lyndsey’s petite frame was actually the result of her having been diagnosed with Rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare form of cancer, when she was just five.
The cancer resulted in Lyndsey only reaching 4’10 in height – a huge difference from her partner who towers over her at 5’10.
The couple frequently have to deal with judgmental stares in the street – and even worse comments online.
They recalled being ”shouted” at in the street on a day out in Exmouth when Lyndsey was heavily pregnant with their child.
Over the years, they’ve learned to cope with the judgement from trolls on social media who don’t understand Lyndsey’s condition.
”We had people shouting us and stuff like that,” the young father admitted.
”People assume in our relationship that Jon sees me as a child and we can’t be as happy as we are,” Lyndsey said.
”It can be hard but because we love one another, we just push it to one side,” Jonathan added.
Things got particularly bad when Lyndsey fell pregnant and decided to upload a clip announcing the wonderful news.
They received streams of vicious comments on their TikTok video, with one writing: ”She will not be a good mum because she looks like a child.”
Another said: ”One way to get a council house…”
The comments were both upsetting and confusing for the lovely pair, who were beyond thrilled they could conceive naturally given Lyndsey’s condition.
”I know I look like that, what do you expect me to say?” Lyndsey questioned.
”I can’t help that I look like that, why are you being so nasty?”
Despite being accused of having an ”under-age” relationship, the couple were actually set up by Lyndsey’s mum.
What is Rhabdomyosarcoma?
Rhabdomyosarcoma is a rare type of sarcoma cancer. It is an aggressive and highly malignant form of cancer.
Sarcomas are cancers that develop in the connective tissues of the body, such as muscle, fat, nerves, blood vessels, bone and cartilage.
The face is a common place to find this type of cancer, as is the soft tissue in the bladder, arms and legs.
Rhabdomyosarcoma is more common in children and teenagers than in adults.
And also, for unknown reasons, is more common in men than women.
Up to 60 new Rhabdomyosarcoma cases are dianogsed each year in the UK.
The treatment for rhabdomyosarcoma depends on the patient, and treatment usually startes with a course of chemotherpay.
But as sarcomas are rare cancers, patients are typically referred to a specialist unit for treatment.
Source: Macmillan Cancer Support
”I fell in love as soon as I saw him,” Lyndsey shared with the viewers.
They began ”talking” and Lyndsey eventually told Jon ”her story”, which allowed him to understand her better.
”I told you my story and that changed how you saw me me, didn’t it?” said the young mother.
Having received her cancer diagnosis at an early age, Lyndsey had struggled with confidence issues during her adolescence.
”Growing up with my condition was pretty difficult. When I was in school I lost my hair to chemotherapy and no boy really wanted to be with me,” she bravely opened up.
”A lot of people say ‘She’s way too small for me. I don’t want someone who’s super skinny and who’s like a twig’ which obviously knocked my confidence of falling in love and finding a relationship.”
But she found her one and only in Jonathan who was 21 at the time while Lyndsey was 16.
Lyndsey was told by medical professionals that she would have a difficult time conceiving because her condition.
She was told her chances of falling pregnant were slim and that she would likely have to resort to IVF and that it would ”never happen naturally”.
But she against all odds, she proved she was a special case.
The loved-up couple were in such disbelief after seeing the positive test that they went and raided their local shop of even more pregnancy tests just so they could be sure.
”I was told my midwives that it was going to be horrendous for me and that I was going to be constantly sick and be in agony because I’m just so small,” Lyndsey explained.
She went on to carry their son for 39 weeks before having a planned C-section to ensure he arrived safely.
The couple described the birth of Flynn as ”the best thing ever”.
”He’s the happiest, cheekiest little boy ever,” said the proud mother, adding that his arrival had boosted her confidence.
