HER high school years were nothing short of a nightmare. Kids would ask if she had leprosy, wonder why her sister had beautiful skin when she was “so hideous” and always gave her a wide berth.
The lesions on her face that had always plagued Annetjie de Wit worsened when she was a teenager and the taunting and stares made her life a misery.
“It hurt. A lot,” she says. “Children don’t have filters.”
Annetjie has a debilitating genetic skin condition called neurofibromatosis that causes non-cancerous tumours along the nerves in her skin.
As a teen, she kept to herself, her days filled with pain and loneliness.
“I didn’t really have friends,” Annetjie (59) says. “I so badly wanted someone to tell me I was beautiful. Or that they liked me. Or that there was a boy who wanted to kiss me, like the other girls. But who would want to kiss me?”
At the time doctors said her skin problems were caused by issues with her kidneys.
“I was on many different medications, but nothing helped. My mom spent a fortune on beauty products to hide the lesions, but they didn’t really help either. So I accepted it and thought there was nothing we could really do about it.”
Things haven’t been easy as an adult for her either. Strangers gawk at her and for years she avoided going out.
“I became a recluse because it wasn’t pleasant to go out, not even to the shops. Do you know how it feels when people stare at you? It’s not nice, man. Not at all.”
When YOU meets her and her sister Fransien Niemand (65), Annetjie’s face is swollen and blood red but she’s beaming broadly.
Soon, she tells us, she’ll be pretty. “Well, about 80% prettier,” Fransien teases.
Annetjie’s new look will be shared with the country as she undergoes cosmetic and dental procedures in the VIA reality series Dr. Nou!
Denne historien er fra 5 September 2024-utgaven av YOU South Africa.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra 5 September 2024-utgaven av YOU South Africa.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
IT'S ALL ABOUT FAMILY
Lynn and Kairo Forbes invite us into their home as they prepare for their second Christmas without AKA
DENZEL'S DECADE OF SOBRIETY
Expensive wine was his weakness but these days the legendary Hollywood actor is all about clean living
WE DID IT FOR YOU, DAD
It was a dream come true for Jaden and Jordan Hendrikse when they ran out together for the Boks – but it was bittersweet too
HIP-HOPPING ALONG!
Moo Deng, the adorable pygmy hippo, is about to become an even bigger star thanks to a catchy new song released in her honour
IAM NO DIFFERENT
Despite being born without legs, Kanya Sesser truimphs at anything she sets her mind to
OUR WONDERFUL, WEIRD WORLD
Bizarre and beautiful spots exist off the well-worn tourist paths that criss-cross our precious planet
GOD'S INFLUENCER
After Carlo Acutis died at age 15, he was credited with performing miracles. Now the Italian is about to be canonised as the Catholic Church's first millennial saint. But what did the seemingly ordinary teenager do that was so special?
RUCK ON!
Rucking walking with a weighted rucksack - has gained popularity once again for its ability to improve your heart health, increase your strength and burn kilojoules fast
MY KIDNEY FOR MY SON
This Cape Town mom is determined to lose 50kg so she can give her boy the gift of life
A WHOLE NEW WORLD
She's been deaf since she.was a baby but now Chermelle ;s slowly startmg to hear thanks to a Cochlear Implant
