Whenever a mother posted photos of her son with a rare condition, people bullied him based on his looks. They asked the woman not to post pictures of her child, but she didn’t stop. Instead, she posted a message for her son’s haters that went viral quickly.
Like most parents, Natasha loved sharing her son Raedyn’s pictures with her friends and family on social media. However, people on the internet did not react to those photos per her expectations.
After noticing how different little Raedyn looked, many people demanded the mother take her son’s photos down. They passed mean comments, asked her belittling questions, and tried their best to bring her down, but the strong mother didn’t let people’s words affect her.
What makes Raedyn look different is Pfeiffer syndrome―a rare genetic condition that affects how a person’s skull, face, and limbs appear. Since this is not a common condition, people are surprised when they see little Raedyn’s photos online.
However, Natasha thinks people should be more considerate when discussing her child. Besides reading mean comments on her social media accounts, the affectionate mom hears people ask demeaning questions upon seeing her child in person. She said:
“People just come up to me and rudely say: ‘what’s wrong with your child? Or why does your child look like that?’ …that’s not how you talk to a human being.”
The loving mother posts photos and videos of little Raedyn on her TikTok and Instagram accounts, but people think she should not. She sees dozens of comments telling her to stop posting her son’s photos. People also think the little boy’s condition affects his quality of life, but that’s not true.
However, the strong mother never let the rude comments affect her.
Natasha says she won’t stop and wants to tell her son’s bullies that he lives a normal life like other children. She revealed that her baby only looks different, which doesn’t make him “any less” of a person.
People post mean comments about Raedyn because of a lack of awareness about his condition. Looking at his photos and videos makes them think he’s living a challenging life, and they blame Natasha for allowing her baby to live like that.
However, the strong mother never let the rude comments affect her. Despite reading all sorts of things about her baby, she takes a stand for him but fails to understand why people must pass remarks about her son because of his different appearance.
The young mother admits repeatedly explaining her son’s condition gets tiring. “He deserves life, he deserves acceptance – I will fight until my dying day for that,” Natasha said.
After witnessing how people react whenever they see a child with special needs or a rare condition, Natasha has a message for the world. She wants people to understand that it’s not compulsory to judge a child or pity him because he looks different. She stated:
“My son looks a little bit different, but that doesn’t mean he is just a lesson to give the world.”
Natasha wants people to understand that she lives a normal, happy life with her son despite his rare genetic condition. They share an incredible mother-son bond, and Raedyn’s condition never becomes a hurdle. She strives to raise awareness around this topic and hopes people will soon understand that having a child with special needs does not entirely change one’s life.
When Natasha received many hateful comments from people worldwide, she decided to post an epic video response to silence them. The clip, with more than 5 million views, shows the caring mother sitting beside her son’s chair that’s turned away from the camera.
Then she turns Raedyn’s seat towards the camera and says, “Who’s going to stop me?” in response to people who tell her not to show her son’s face on social media. The mother uploaded this video on TikTok to stop people from bullying her son and other children like him.
@risewithraedyn I will NOT stop 😊 #stopbullying #spreadawareness #educateyourself #craniofacialdifference #acceptance #inclusion #pfieffersyndrome #differentisbeautiful #morealikethandifferent #craniofacialawareness ♬ all the things she said slowed – xxtristanxo
In another video in October 2023, the dedicated mother shared her experience parenting a child with special needs. “The truth about parenting a child with a disability. It’s exhausting, everything comes with a fight. We fight for supplies, equipment, education, insurance, proper healthcare.. etc,” she noted.
“I used to be such a go with the flow type of person, and now i know, if I dont speak up for my child.. nobody will. I would fight everyday for the rest of my life for him, but to say it’s not a lot would be a lie [sic],” concluded Natasha.
When netizens learned about Natasha’s struggles, they couldn’t help but post messages of support. Here are a few comments worth mentioning:
“Look at his smile. Just beautiful. Sadly, people can be so cruel.”
― (@Elise O’Connor) June 21, 2022
“Why are people so awful!! All children are amazing!”
― (@Eunie White) June 22, 2022
“Ignore these ignorant “people”. They’re not worth it. Every child is so special.”
― (@Heather Muir) June 24, 2022
“His personality shines through. If a person asks what is wrong with him, say nothing is wrong with him, but there is a lot wrong with you. My grandchildren sometimes see people who have physical or mental challenges, and I try to explain to them that every person is different in their own way. Or I ask the person if my grandkids can talk to them and ask for themselves and to recognize that they are the same as them, just a little more precious. So remember, he is a little ray of sunshine. [sic]”
― (@Barbara Evans) June 24, 2022
We hope Natasha succeeds in raising awareness about her son’s condition. We also hope people learn they don’t need to pass mean comments whenever they see a child like little Raedyn.