A BRAVE teenager horrifically burned as a baby has been targeted by cruel Facebook trolls.
Terri Calvesbert was just 18-months-old when she suffered 90 per cent burns in a fire at her home in Ipswich in 1998.
The incredible 19-year-old has since won top awards for her courage over the years.
But she has now been left devastated after sick internet bullies posted a picture of her with the caption “everyone is ashamed of me because I am deformed”.
The cruel post has attracted more than 2,200 comments and asks Facebook users to share it if they are not ashamed of Terri.
The social media site have not removed it though because they say it is not against their community guidelines.
Terri, from Sudbury, Suffolk, said: “It’s just awful and when I saw the post it really upset me.
“My friend Michelle told me that she had seen the post which had been shared thousands of times – and I was worried about clicking on it.”
She added: “It’s a foreign account and I don’t know the person running it.
“But it made me feel really low, the lowest I have felt in a long while.
“I just don’t understand why someone would do this to me.”
Disgusted mum slams Morrisons after tot, 1, ‘gets chemical burns from store’s nappies’
Devastated Terri is now hitting back at the trolls by taking a stand against cyber bullying and has launched a social media campaign.
She has been backed by pals Michelle Wright, 53, and Gavin Jaques, 30, who are calling on Facebook to do more to remove offensive posts.
After spotting the post, which has already been shared about 10,000 times,Gavin contacted Terri through the social media site.
He and Michelle are now working with the brave teenager to set up a Government petition to highlight cyber-bullying.
Michelle, who has known Terri since she was a little girl, said: “We want to turn a negative into a positive with this campaign.
“It is disgusting how this particular person has treated Terri and we do not want it to continue.
“Terri is an incredibly strong person but she was deeply upset by this post.
“Nobody should have to deal with this kind of online bullying, and Facebook should be doing more to stop it.
“It’s sick and shouldn’t happen.
“It seems like this specific page is sharing quite a few photos of people with disabilities to get likes and shares.”
She insisted that without Terri she “would not be alive” after seeing how strong Terri was while she was battling anorexia.
They’re planning to launch the government campaign – which needs 10,000 signatures to be debated in Parliament – later this week.
“We need to get the government involved as I think, in Terri’s case, they might listen,” said Michelle.
“She’s very well known nationally as well as locally and so many people have heard her story.
“These people sit behind their keyboards and get away with it.
“It’s not fair and something needs to be done.”
A Facebook spokesman said they have launched an investigation into Terri’s complaint.
Terri was a baby when she suffered a horrifying catalogue of burns in a fire sparked by her mum Julie Minter after she left a lit cigarette in her baby daughter’s bedroom.
Doctors at the specialist burns unit at Chelmsford Hospital feared Terri would die.
But she amazed medics and pulled through to have more than 50 operations over the years to repair her torched skin.
She was thrilled to receive the Child of Courage award at the Daily Mirror’s Pride of Britain Awards 2004 in a star-studded ceremony at London’s Hilton Hotel.
Leave a Reply