MY JOURNEY

Ellie Coneley, 18, Leeds

Not understanding

When I was born, I was diagnosed with a bilateral Tessier cleft. It meant that not only did I have facial deformities from my lip up, but I was blind in my left eye as it hadn’t developed properly.

My mum, Levi, now 38, had no idea I’d be born like it.

Nothing had shown up in any of my scans!

I think it was really hard for her.

I wondered why I didn’t look like my brother

After all, my mouth was split from my lips to my eyes, meaning there was a gaping hole in my face.

Although she loves me now, I think she struggled to bond when I was a baby.

At the time she was a first-time mum and I don’t imagine it was quite the experience she was expecting to have.

When I was just eight