When His Mom Saw His “Ugly” Face, She Refused To Take Him Home
We've all heard the expression "a face only a mother could love," but sometimes, even a mother's love doesn't come easily. Robert Hoge was born with a tennis-ball-sized tumor on his face, and legs so badly deformed that doctors had to amputate them right away. His mother was absolutely devastated and didn't know if she could raise such an child.
It would be easy to demonize the new mom based on her reaction, but there's much more to this story. The circumstances around Robert's birth are just the beginning...
44 years ago in Australia, Robert Hoge was born with a massive tennis-ball-sized tumor between his eyes and badly deformed legs that had to be amputated. His mother, who already had four healthy children, was devastated and refused to take such an "ugly" baby home with her.
She and her family had a meeting, and Robert's siblings decided they wanted him to be part of the family despite their mother's deep concerns about raising a child with special needs. Even though she feared he would be bullied and ostracized for his appearance, she agreed to bring him home.
Robert had surgery to remove the tumor and received prosthetic legs, and soon a family dynamic was established. Robert's mother came to love him just as much as any of her other children, and although she still struggled from time to time over his condition, Robert doesn't blame her at all.
He says that his mother was always very open with him about her initial hesitation to raise him and her difficulties along the way. The doctors had encouraged her to keep a diary through Robert's early medical problems, which she kept doing throughout her life. She would occasionally read to Robert from it.