A MODEL who spent her childhood feeling like a “freak of nature” due to her 100lb leg is now the most confident she’s ever been.
Mahogany Geter was born with a condition that caused one of her legs to swell to more than seven stone in weight.
After years of being stared and pointed at, the 25-year-old has discovered the confident “bad b***h” inside her.
She said: “I’ve been told that the devil gave me this disease.
“I’ll get messages about healers that I should work with in other countries.”
Mahogany, who lives in Tennessee, US, has vowed to never amputate her leg because she feels beautiful inside and out.
The long-term condition is lymphedema which causes excess fluid to collect in the body’s soft tissue and cause swelling.
In Mahogany’s case, the swelling on her left side has added 100lb to her total body weight.
The aspiring model – who wants to redefine beauty – ignores online trolls and proudly shows off her leg on social media.
Speaking to the Today Show, she explained: “When I’m out in public, people stare at me.
“Kids have the courage to ask me questions.”
Doctors noticed the difference in Mahogany’s left foot shortly after she was born and gave her mum the lymphedema diagnosis.
There is no cure but the build up of fluid in her leg can be eased with physiotherapy and lymphatic drainage massages.
She also wears compression socks that relocate the fluid to an area which it can drain from properly.
As a child, Mahogany used to feel like God had cursed her and was even called a “deformed b***h” by a girl at school.
Her life was turned around when she was approached by a professional photographer who wanted to help her build a modelling portfolio.
She recalled: “I was completely sceptical.
“I remember thinking, ‘why would someone want to take pictures of me?’”
But after encouragement for her family, she gave the photographer a call and got her dream of being a model underway.
She has since used the modelling shoots to raise awareness about lymphedema – but warned there are many misconceptions about the chronic condition.
Mahogany explained: “People think that only plus-size people have lymphedema.
“But lymphedema doesn’t choose a body type.”
Leave a Reply