00:00We get hate because we lasered our baby's face.
00:03Instantly, the moment he was born,
00:05we got the confirmation that it was a port wine stain birthmark.
00:08He had his first laser treatment when he was five months old.
00:12I felt like I needed to put my son's story out there.
00:16One person told me to put my child down.
00:18Other people say you're an abusive parent
00:21and you shouldn't be doing this to your child.
00:24That hurt a little bit.
00:26Have you ever regretted your decision
00:27to get treatment for Kingsley at such a young age?
00:32Um...
00:35Oh, where are you going?
00:37Hey, hey!
00:40My pregnancy with Kingsley was smooth sailing
00:43right up until we had him.
00:44There was nothing to alert us that anything was wrong.
00:49If you want to sit up, you can.
00:50Mummy's just got to put this on.
00:52Ready?
00:54Wow.
00:55Instantly, the moment he was born,
00:58they knew it was a birthmark,
01:00but we didn't know what type yet.
01:03And then we got the confirmation that day
01:05that it was a port wine stain birthmark.
01:08And then, obviously, later on,
01:10we found out about the Sturge-Weber syndrome.
01:13When we started Googling,
01:15that's when I started getting concerned
01:16because of the type of birthmark it was
01:18and the pictures that are in Google Images
01:21scared the hell out of us.
01:23So it would affect his eyesight.
01:25It could be linked to Sturge-Weber syndrome,
01:28which then would be neurological issues.
01:32Ooh, ooh, ooh.
01:35There's also the complications in the future
01:38with the port wine stain birthmark itself,
01:41where it can develop growths, vascular blebs,
01:44where it can bleed out and the face becomes disportioned.
01:48Yeah, there's a lot of complications.
01:50Yeah, there was quite a few issues.
01:53He had his first laser treatment
01:55when he was five months old.
01:57It was probably one of the most difficult decisions
01:59I've ever had to make.
02:03Absolutely scared.
02:04I was, as a parent,
02:08it was one of the hardest things
02:10that I've ever had to kind of go into.
02:14I couldn't stay in the room.
02:16I actually left the room,
02:17whereas dad was in there with him.
02:19But everything in me just broke.
02:22Did Kingsley need to have laser surgery?
02:24There are a lot of parents that choose not to.
02:28A lot of people think we're gonna give,
02:30like, let our child make that decision when they're older.
02:33Have you ever regretted your decision
02:34to get treatment for Kingsley at such a young age?
02:42During, during the process, yeah.
02:44We have, yeah.
02:46We had moments when he was crying
02:48that, like, we were like,
02:49we don't want to do this again.
02:51And, like, by the fourth one,
02:53it was kind of like, do we go again or not?
02:57Yeah, the whole thing was difficult.
02:58But would we regret it?
03:00Absolutely not.
03:02We didn't want to wait.
03:03We wanted to do it then and there,
03:05and then he won't remember.
03:07It'd be a lot more stressful when he's older
03:09than when he was a baby.
03:11After the laser treatment had stopped,
03:13and it looked really painful.
03:14I feel like it looked worse
03:17than how he felt,
03:19because he was fine afterwards.
03:20He was happy.
03:22Yeah.
03:23Are you sharing?
03:29When Kingsley was born,
03:31and we were really kind of taken back with everything,
03:33we had no clue what this was.
03:36I felt like I needed to put my son's story out there
03:41to spread awareness around it.
03:42You have been asking on my son's birthmark
03:45and the year of hell that we have had.
03:47If it's not a birthmark, then what is it?
03:50He has what they call Sturge-Weber syndrome.
03:54I had a lot of other parents of Port Weinstein children
03:57just come up to me and, like,
03:59message me and thank me,
04:01and be like, thank you for sharing your story.
04:03This means a lot to my child.
04:04I had a lot of families say, like,
04:06this has helped me, made my decision easier.
04:09Then I had the negative side.
04:12One person told me to put my child down.
04:14Other people say, you're an abusive parent
04:17and you shouldn't be doing this to your child.
04:20That we were horrible people.
04:22We shouldn't have kids.
04:24Social welfare should come take our children.
04:27He should make the decision for himself when he's older.
04:30Yeah, there was a few hurtful comments.
04:32And at the beginning, it used to get to me a lot.
04:34But I chose, rather than react, to educate them.
04:38And if they don't want to be educated, to block.
04:45Hi, Ellen.
04:47Hello.
04:47How are you?
04:49Good, thank you.
04:50Our families were, they supported us
04:52to have the, to decide on doing laser for him.
04:57What are you doing?
04:59Yes.
05:00Who's that? Is that Nanny?
05:01You want to go to Nanny?
05:02When I heard that Kingsley was getting laser surgery,
05:05I knew that it was for his best interest.
05:08I know his parents are doing the best they can
05:11and what's best for him.
05:13And it's when he goes to school.
05:16It's all those things.
05:17People can be pretty cruel.
05:20People don't know the real story.
05:23They only just see things written up.
05:26But they actually don't know the reasons behind it.
05:29Worst thing that we would have had said is,
05:32just saying that like, I'm a horrible mum.
05:35We're child abusers.
05:37Just the abuser part really kind of got to me.
05:40Because, you know, we love and care for our kids.
05:43So that hurt a little bit.
05:49He's smiling.
05:52I just feel they judge people.
05:55But you're always going to get that.
05:56I would have made that decision to have him late,
05:59have the laser treatment without a doubt.
06:01How do you feel about the way he looks now?
06:04I feel like he's always looked great.
06:06Like it's still there.
06:07His birthmark is always going to be there.
06:09It's just purely to make the skin healthier
06:13and obviously in the same time, it is going to lighten it.
06:17But he's beautiful.
06:18I love him.
06:19I love him.
06:20I think he's got a beautiful little head.
06:21Remember, people are always going to give you criticism,
06:24especially if you put out there online.
06:25But don't take it in too much.
06:28Don't take it to heart.
06:29Make decisions based on the best choices
06:32you think of for your children.
06:33What does the future hold for you as a family?
06:35Keep spreading awareness for our son's conditions.
06:38Yeah, just keep going up from here, I guess.
06:41And educating ourselves and just making sure
06:44our children have the best life.
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