EMOTIONAL! Woman covered in tumour accepts rare disorder after child birth

                          

Vanessa Cornelio, has revealed that she finally came to accept herself after child birth.
The 25-year-old mother, who suffers from three serious medical conditions that have left her with tumours all over her body and a severely curved spine is finally embracing her looks.


Vanessa is from Glendale, Arizona, and was born with the rare genetic disorder neurofibromatosis (NF), which causes tumours to grow on nerve tissue.

She was also diagnosed with scoliosis, which makes her spine curve, and kyphosis, which causes her backbone to bend outwards, at just four years old.
After being driven to depression by her appearance, Miss Cornelio finally accepted her looks when her two-year-old son Daniel Jr. inherited her NF.

‘I don’t want my son to see his mother depressed. I don’t want him to see me not doing anything because of what I have,’ she said.


Miss Cornelio shares Daniel Jr. with her fiancé Daniel Robles, who she met almost four years ago while working in a restaurant.

Although thrilled to have met someone after thinking it would never happen to her, she admits pregnancy was difficult.

‘The hardest moment for my condition was my pregnancy because I was worried all the time I wouldn’t be able to support carrying a child,’ Miss Cornelio told Barcroft TV. I was worried I was going to hurt my baby or my spine was going to snap or one of my rods was going to pop.’

Although the pregnancy went to plan, Daniel Jr. was diagnosed with NF at birth.
Speaking of her son’s diagnosis, Miss Cornelio said: ‘I felt scared. Those tumours can grow on your brain. Those tumours can grow on your feet. Those tumours can grow on your stomach.


‘I still don’t know what he can get as he gets older but I know what to look out for. I know what to watch for. I am doing all I can to make sure he is okay.’

Although Miss Cornelio is unable to play with her son or carry him like other mothers can, she is doing all she can to ensure he has a fulfilling life. And she even credits the youngster for helping her accept her uniqueness.

‘It wasn’t until I had my son and Daniel came into my life for me to realise who I am and accept myself,’ Miss Cornelio said. ‘Daniel accepts me, my son accepts me and that’s all that really matters.’