After decades of shame, this brave woman decided to stop hiding her body. Sylvia Mac is a burn survivor who doesn’t let the scars of the past hold her back anymore.
The actual scars on her body are the legacy of a childhood accident. When she was only 3 years old, she suffered third-degree and fourth-degree burns all over her body and spent much more time in the hospital than any child ever should. As a result, she developed self-image issues and tried to hide herself as much as possible.
It took time for her to let her guard down, but with the help of her family, she has now fought and won her battles and is focused on helping the next burn survivor in need of support. She especially recommends swimming to those living with a disfigurement, saying that it’s an activity which brings immense peace.
“Don’t paste over the cracks in your life as I did, deal with them head on and begin to embrace you and your body,” she says. To spread this message, in 2018 she created the support group, Love Disfigure, which invites people to accept themselves with all the imperfections caused by accidents.