This week in our hero blog series, we’re covering the story of a close friend of the Scarred and Fabulous community, Izzy, and her journey of embracing scars.
Izzy went through a hellish year, experiencing one accident after another, resulting in mental trauma residing much longer than the injuries.
It was only after the fourth accident she realised that it was time to leave her current situation. Only starting afresh, both mentally and physically, would stop this cycle.
It began during a rough period in Izzy’s life – a dying relationship and the death of a close friend, for which she was being called to be a witness in court.
Amidst this chaos and grief, Izzy stepped on glass at a party. The mistake led to stitches in the bottom of her foot, and walking on crutches. This not only impacted her mobility, but also her professional life. She was let go from her job, as she could not work.
The second accident was unfortunately more severe. During an argument with her partner of the time, she chased after him into the road and was hit by a motorbike.
“My tibia fully snapped in half, and I had an titanium rod put all the way down it, one screw at the top, two screws at the bottom”
Now only having just recovered from her foot incident, she found herself in a wheelchair for 4 months.
The long surgery in A&E meant she had a large scar on her leg, and could see the metal bolt through her skin.
Not being able to avoid the sight of the bolt in her leg, everyday her legs reminded her of everything else that was going wrong in her life.
Some months later, back with her partner and happier in life, the third accident occurred and set her back.
Whilst cooking dinner one night, she injured the very same leg that was recovering from the motorbike accident.
Oil was poured down her right leg, and she was rushed to hospital with second degree burns.
Luckily this time around, her skin healed well.
Choosing Change
The last incident is when Izzy realised something needed to change.
On a hike, she fell and cut her knee deeply. She needed 20 stitches, resulting in a large scar.
“That finally made me realise it was time to leave where I was”, referring to her physical situation, and mental state at the time.
She decided to make the brave decision, and make the change of moving countries. Suddenly, the accidents stopped happening.
But she was left with the physical scars across her legs, and mental scars that cut much deeper.
The scars didn’t just represent the accidents that occurred, but served as reminders to everything she had been through during that time.
The scars were uncomfortable to look at, bringing up trauma time and time again.
Journey to Embracing Her Scars
On arrival in her new home, Izzy met Scarred and Fabulous, Kim
Together, they embarked on a journey of reframing Izzy’s experiences, building her confidence, and reshaping the narrative around her scars. Kim helped Izzy see her scars not as something to fear or hide but as symbols of the battles she’d bravely overcome. They weren’t limitations but reminders of her strength and resilience, allowing her to reclaim a vibrant and fulfilling life.
“The beautiful thing is that you’re not just scarred on the outside, you’re scarred on the inside, and sometimes the wounds inside take even longer to heal. You can’t see them, so it looks like they’re not there, whereas it’s quite obvious when people have physical scars.”
It doesn’t matter if your scars have faded and healed neatly. It doesn’t matter if the scars are not visible to anyone else. Only you know what hurt you’re holding onto on the inside. This inner healing is a rollercoaster, and comes with lots of hard, self-reflection. Embracing scars, both seen and unseen, can be a crucial part of this journey.
But recognising that you’re hurting on the inside too is the first step towards overall healing and acceptance.
After a long journey of self-reflection, body positivity work, and self-acceptance, Izzy now feels grateful for the scars and the trauma. Embracing scars has allowed her to find meaning in her experiences. From the sadness came lessons for herself and those around her.
Medical trauma is not always linear, and sometimes it is only later that we realise that the scars run deeper.
Izzy now serves as an inspiration to others, proving that there is light at the end of the tunnel. She reminds us that it’s okay to acknowledge when we’re not okay and to seek the help we need.
