"People tend to immediately pity people who look different and I would like to change that conversation."

You would think that bullying stops when we toss our caps in the air and move on to the world beyond high school. My point in sharing this piece with you, and baring my vulnerabilities, is to let you know it doesn't end there.

"A lovely baby girl you have there. It's too bad about that awful birthmark." Those are the first and last words I ever hear from your original pediatrician. After she leaves the delivery room, I tell the nurse to keep her away from us, and I cry myself to sleep.

People who knew Chloe saw a spunky, smiley, and beautiful kid; strangers just stared at that thing on her head. The pediatrician brushed off my concerns, saying it was just a cosmetic issue. But I couldn't help the nagging feeling that her birthmark would always enter the room before she did.