When Meagan Barnard started going throughย puberty, she developed lymphedema in her leftย leg.ย Itโs hard enough for teenageย girls and guys to go throughย puberty, but for Meagan, it was even worse.ย She was teased at school and given terrible nicknames like โMichelin Man,โ so sheย did everything she could to hide herย leg.ย Then, when Meagan was 24-years-old, her left leg swelled up to more than double the size of her right one.ย She refused to even show herย leg to her boyfriend, who had no idea that she suffered from lymphedema.ย Then, something happened.ย After having felt unwell for several years, Meagan decided to โcome outโ with herย lymphedema.ย And sheโsย evenย displayed her leg in a professional photoshoot.
Lymphedema refers to swelling that generally occurs in one of your arms or legs. Itโs usually caused by the removal of, or damage to, the lymph nodes, according toย theย Mayo Clinic.
For Meagan Barnard, lymphedema came at age 15. She felt abnormal, lonely and suicidal, and refused to talk about it with herย friends and family.
Instead, she hid her swollen leg in baggyย clothes and refused to wearย dresses or skirts for over a decade. She was teased and someone in her school even yelled: โI didnโt know that the Michelin Man went to schoolย here.โ
Meagan felt so bad that on one occasion, she wrote a suicide note to herย dadโshe just didnโt thinkย she could handle it anymore.
Meaganโs left leg holds upย to three liters of extra fluid, and once when she was 24-years-old, it swelled up to more than double the sizeย of her right one.
When she got older, she started dating a guy named Robert Neidenfeuhr. According to NZ Herald, Meagan managed to hide the lymphoedema from her boyfriend for two years before eventually revealing it to the world in a photo shoot.
Robert insists he never noticed her swollen leg, not even during their most private moments. ๐๐ป
Mr. Neidenfeuhr explained, โShe was extremely careful, but I really didnโt notice. There were lots of closed doors, lots of lights offโthat kind of thing.โ
The condition means Meagan has up to three litres of excess fluid in her leg, prompting upsetting nicknames including โMichelin Manโ. For many years, she concealed her leg with a pillow or loose clothes.
Until one dayโฆ
A few years ago, Meagan showed her legs for the first time in a decade. She decided to be open about herย lymphedema in the hope that young girls who suffer from the same conditionย wonโtย have to deal with it in silence.
Now, Meagan Barnard has showed off her legย in glamorย photosโand the results are so good that sheโs even been asked to model more. By showing her body, Meaganย wants to help girls accept themselves for who they are.
Please share if you also think that Meagan is an inspiring, strong and beautiful person!
