Tomm Tennent, born in 1993, baffled doctors with a rare condition causing excess skin. Despite initial uncertainties, his parents chose to continue the pregnancy.
At birth, Tomm had 100 times the normal amount of hyaluronic acid similar to Shar Pei puppie with hopes, his skin would normalize as he grew.Though he faced teasing at school, Tomm maintained a positive outlook, valuing his inner qualities over appearance. By 2003, he embraced his uniqueness, seeing himself as kind and loving.
Now 28, happily married in Australia, Tomm’s story is a testament to resilience and self-acceptance.
According to his doctor, Dr. Andrew Ramsden, the condition would probably disappear as Tomm got older. And luckily, he was right.
Tomm faced some challenges growing up, especially when he started school. Some children didn’t want to play with him and teased him. But Tomm wasn’t discouraged by his uniqueness.
It didn’t take long for Tomm to make friends and become fully integrated into his school. Even though he still looked different, it wasn’t as bad as when he was born.
In 2003 they asked Tomm if he was worried about how his friends looked at him. Tomm said: “Not really because they are my friends and they don’t really care how I look like.”
