At seven years old, Carter Gentle has a lot of battle scars from numerous surgeries he had to undergo to correct his congenital heart defect.
He has had plenty of surgeries, including five open heart surgeries!
Then, when a pacemaker he had been using since birth encountered a problem, the brave little boy had to be operated again – his twelfth time in surgery!
It is heartbreaking what this little kid had to undergo in order for him to live yet he is a fighter and has braved all those surgeries.
However, there is something that pains him to see: the scars from the numerous surgeries he’s had.
While looking at his scarred chest, the young boy lamented how people would surely think he was ugly.
His dad, Mark, said the boy cried for 45 minutes because he felt he will not be loved because of his ugly scars.
Pained at this heart-wrenching situation, Mark turned to his Facebook friends for help.
He posted a photo of Carter scars and asked his friends to like it.
#CHDAWARENESS We were a little apprehensive to post this but I feel it's important. Carter took his bandages off this…
Posted by Mark Gentle on Saturday, April 11, 2015
#CHDAWARENESS We were a little apprehensive to post this but I feel it’s important.
Carter took his bandages off this morning. He cried for 45 minutes when he saw his scars.
He said that he’s afraid people will think he is ugly.
This was hard to hear as a parent. We told him that his scars are beautiful and make him look like a superhero.
How many likes can Carter get for his bravery?! Feel free to share. #CartersSong #HeartHeroes #CHD
What’s quite amazing is that his friends were not the only ones who liked the photo – it was shared on the social media site for over 110,000 times and has, so far, gained over 1.5 million likes!
The dad had only hoped for his friends to support his brave young son yet strangers have pitched in, telling Carter how much he was loved, how they also had their own scars, how he was such a brave young man to get those scars, how the girls might even love his scars when he’s older, and all other sorts of things that gave the boy the much needed boost for his self-esteem.
Mark was overwhelmed at the awesome response his post had received. Carter now beams with pride and happiness.
When asked about his reaction to the comments, the young boy gave the NBC News reporter a huge smile and said, “Thank you!”
Here’s Mark’s special song for Carter:
