Bullied 14-Year-Old Girl Gets Plastic Surgery to Fix Ears, Nose, Chin

[John F Kennedy III]

Bullied 14-Year-Old Girl Gets Plastic Surgery to Fix Ears, Nose, Chin

(video here in article)

ABC News' Bianna Golodryga and Natasha Singh report:
At first glance, 14-year-old Nadia Iles exudes an air of confidence that many other girls her age lack. That confidence is hard won.

Teased about her big ears since she was 7 years old, Nadia found school a nightmare. Her classmates tormented her, and she couldn't bear to look at herself in the mirror.

"I felt horrible. I felt like I was like dirt," she said, in an interview with "Good Morning America." "They said that I have the biggest ears that they've ever seen. They called me 'Dumbo,' 'elephant ears.'"

The teasing and bullying escalated, and Nadia, of Cummings, Ga., started to believe the negativity.

"I kind of got into this shell and I actually skipped school a lot," she said. "I made excuses. I would say my stomach hurt, say that I was sick even though I wasn't."

Nadia would cry a lot on the way home from the bus stop and at night before she went to sleep. It got so bad that Nadia even contemplated suicide.

"I actually did think about suicide but I wasn't pushed, I didn't really want to. I didn't think that was the solution," she said.

Nadia's troubles came as a shock to her mother. Because Lynda Iles had recently been laid off, and had a 9-year-old son, Joshua, who was battling cerebral palsy, Nadia didn't want to bother her mother with her problems.

"I'm heartbroken about it," Lynda Iles said, speaking of her daughter's torment, including her thoughts of suicide. "I didn't realize that it was that bad. She would mostly say that she has migraines."

Eventually, Nadia told her mother everything and begged for surgery to pin her ears back. Lynda Iles couldn't afford it, so she turned to the Little Baby Face Foundation, a Manhattan-based organization that provides free surgery for children with facial deformities who have a financial need.


Dr. Thomas Romo, the president of the organization, found Nadia's story compelling.

Romo operated on Nadia in June. He pinned her ears back, and also operated on her nose and chin. Romo performed $40,000 worth of work for free.

Asked if they were concerned that operating on Nadia conveyed the message that other bullied children needed to have plastic surgery, Romo replied: "She wasn't picked to have her surgery because she was bullied. She was picked for her surgery because of her deformities."

Lynda Iles added: "It was just something that we chose to do. It's no different than somebody having teeth that require braces."

Nadia no longer has a problem looking at herself in the mirror.

"I see a new me, a beautiful girl," she said.

For years, Nadia wore her hair down to cover her ears. When she starts her first day of high school today, she will likely wear her hair up.

Asked about how she felt about the bullies who tormented her, she said: "I forgive, but I don't forget."


http://gma.yahoo.com/blogs/abc-blogs/bullied-14-old-girl-gets-plastic-surgery-fix-110322837--abc-news-health.html

[trey4sports]

in b4 "we're all beautiful"

[trey4sports]

did she put rocks in her pockets to keep from flying away?

[James Madison]

Another reason to abolish public education.

[John F Kennedy III]

did she put rocks in her pockets to keep from flying away?


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KOHK51nyW0&feature=player_detailpage

[John F Kennedy III]

Another reason to abolish public education.

Absolutely.

[tod evans]

I'm all for private charity...

Good on the doctor.

[LibertyEagle]

Kids can be so mean.

[brandon]

Man I feel terrible when I think about some of the kids I tormented back in the day. I guess it's all part of being a kid though.

[Romulus]

Blame the parents for not personally taking care of the kids bullying her.... Our society is pretty f'd up if this is her solution to fit in.

[John F Kennedy III]

Blame the parents for not personally taking care of the kids bullying her.... Our society is pretty f'd up if this is her solution to fit in.

I agree with the bold part. But the best way I can think of for the parents to take care of it is illegal...

[trey4sports]

Honestly, she needs to just suck it up and get some thick skin.

[brooks009]

Honestly, she needs to just suck it up and get some thick skin.

or she could do what she did which looks like it was a better solution.

[brooks009]

Honestly, she needs to just suck it up and get some thick skin.

or she could do what she did which looks like it was a better solution.

[John F Kennedy III]

Honestly, she needs to just suck it up and get some thick skin.

Especially when it's just words. You can choose to not let words hurt you. Therefore it is your choice to be hurt by the words that are said.

[John F Kennedy III]

//////////

[dannno]

http://l3.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/nm4oXAO8IxGrOp3mP07MGQ--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7cT04NTt3PTQ1MA--/http://l.yimg.com/os/590/2012/08/09/ht-nadia-split-kb-120808-wmain-jpg_003142.jpg

Meh, I dunno what to think. It's actually a big improvement, her entire head had (and still has) a bit of a curve to it. She might be happier with the new surgery but it won't solve all of her problems.

Some people want or feel the need to be accepted by their peers more than others and can get pretty down if they feel completely left out.

I'm not a big fan of people getting plastic surgery, but not 100% against it either. I think some people take it too far and become too obsessed and it ends up making them uglier, Michael Jackson and many women in Beverly Hills being the prime example. Plastic surgery has diminishing terms that push into the negatives at some point. In this girl's case, she is now prettier and will probably have a better life, more love, I just hope she doesn't keep wanting to get more plastic surgery because she thinks it will make her happier and can be happy with what she got. Nothing wrong with being happy with what she had before, but clearly she wasn't.

[trey4sports]

or she could do what she did which looks like it was a better solution.


lol..... uhhh no way man. She just put a band-aid on a broken foot. She needs to deal with her self-esteem and self-image. The plastic surgery is only skin deep, and her problems are internal. At some point she is going to get teased about something else and there may not be a plastic surgery ferry to fix it.

I too had very big ears as a child and got teased, but honestly, i never thought much about it. No one was perfect and everyone got teased for something or another.

[heavenlyboy34]

Bullies suck. :P I think she looked fine before. I agree with trey^^ about the self-esteem issues.

[Kluge]

http://l3.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/nm4oXAO8IxGrOp3mP07MGQ--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7cT04NTt3PTQ1MA--/http://l.yimg.com/os/590/2012/08/09/ht-nadia-split-kb-120808-wmain-jpg_003142.jpg

Meh, I dunno what to think. It's actually a big improvement, her entire head had (and still has) a bit of a curve to it. She might be happier with the new surgery but it won't solve all of her problems.

Some people want or feel the need to be accepted by their peers more than others and can get pretty down if they feel completely left out.

I'm not a big fan of people getting plastic surgery, but not 100% against it either. I think some people take it too far and become too obsessed and it ends up making them uglier, Michael Jackson and many women in Beverly Hills being the prime example. Plastic surgery has diminishing terms that push into the negatives at some point. In this girl's case, she is now prettier and will probably have a better life, more love, I just hope she doesn't keep wanting to get more plastic surgery because she thinks it will make her happier and can be happy with what she got. Nothing wrong with being happy with what she had before, but clearly she wasn't.

After seeing the pics, I'm inclined to agree. It looks like jaw misalignment in a big way, the ears could be covered up with hair, but I don't blame her. One of my best friends in HS had a big nose and she got a nose job prior to going to college just for a "fresh start" where that wasn't the first thing people noticed about her. Although she was one of the few I've known (the only one) to have plastic surgery who didn't have other massive issues.

I had braces and I'm really glad I did. My teeth are a non-issue as opposed to being something that makes me feel uncomfortable.

[tttppp]

http://l3.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/nm4oXAO8IxGrOp3mP07MGQ--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7cT04NTt3PTQ1MA--/http://l.yimg.com/os/590/2012/08/09/ht-nadia-split-kb-120808-wmain-jpg_003142.jpg

Meh, I dunno what to think. It's actually a big improvement, her entire head had (and still has) a bit of a curve to it. She might be happier with the new surgery but it won't solve all of her problems.

Some people want or feel the need to be accepted by their peers more than others and can get pretty down if they feel completely left out.

I'm not a big fan of people getting plastic surgery, but not 100% against it either. I think some people take it too far and become too obsessed and it ends up making them uglier, Michael Jackson and many women in Beverly Hills being the prime example. Plastic surgery has diminishing terms that push into the negatives at some point. In this girl's case, she is now prettier and will probably have a better life, more love, I just hope she doesn't keep wanting to get more plastic surgery because she thinks it will make her happier and can be happy with what she got. Nothing wrong with being happy with what she had before, but clearly she wasn't.

She didn't look as bad as I expected. I think surgery is fine if you have some sort of deformaty, but its way overused and I swear there are many girls in their twenties getting platic surgery just to get the plastic surgery look.

[Romulus]

Honestly, she needs to just suck it up and get some thick skin.

I think that's pretty cold.. the girl is being abused by her peers.. for an undeveloped mind, in this culture that is pretty much physical abuse.

The article does not mention her father.. that is where a girl gets her self esteem from. The parents failed to either take her out of school or go into that school and confront the bullies.

Instead they fall in line with some shallow bullshit that does not even address the problem of her self esteem and those bullying her.

[John F Kennedy III]

I think that's pretty cold.. the girl is being abused by her peers.. for an undeveloped mind, in this culture that is pretty much physical abuse.

The article does not mention her father.. that is where a girl gets her self esteem from. The parents failed to either take her out of school or go into that school and confront the bullies.

Instead they fall in line with some shallow bullshit that does not even address the problem of her self esteem and those bullying her.

Our culture does breed victims....intentionally.

[brooks009]

She needs to deal with her self-esteem and self-image.

Your assuming that this solution did not help her self-esteem and self-image. She got past this problem so when the next problem comes along she can feel confident that she can find a solution to the new problem.

[Athan]

Another reason to abolish public education.
+rep.

[Romulus]

Our culture does breed victims....intentionally.

yes and it breeds insecurity and bullies. Our govt is a bully basically.. and people deal with bullies by becoming one and picking on the weak..

[heavenlyboy34]

yes and it breeds insecurity and bullies. Our govt is a bully basically.. and people deal with bullies by becoming one and picking on the weak..
+a bunch. It's a sad and self-perpetuating cycle. :(

[trey4sports]

I think that's pretty cold.. the girl is being abused by her peers.. for an undeveloped mind, in this culture that is pretty much physical abuse.

The article does not mention her father.. that is where a girl gets her self esteem from. The parents failed to either take her out of school or go into that school and confront the bullies.

Instead they fall in line with some shallow bullshit that does not even address the problem of her self esteem and those bullying her.

i don't think its her parents job to go in and fight her battles at school. Not at 14 or 15 at least. It is a cruel world but i dont think reverting to plastic surgery is going to help in the long run.

[trey4sports]

Your assuming that this solution did not help her self-esteem and self-image. She got past this problem so when the next problem comes along she can feel confident that she can find a solution to the new problem.


i dont look at it from that same perspective. The problem is that she cant deal with the teasing. Her ears and nose and chin aren't really the problem. Therefore the real problem hasn't been addressed. Her face is not perfect and she will probably get picked on for something else and she will race to have that "fixed" as well.

[Romulus]

i don't think its her parents job to go in and fight her battles at school. Not at 14 or 15 at least.

14 or 15yrs is a baby... emotionally undeveloped and insecure... no way I would throw my kid in there with a bunch of drugged up idiot public school kids and expect her to be 'ok'. Parents job is to protect their kid.

[asurfaholic]

Another reason to abolish public education.

Of all the good reasons to abolish public education.. isn't this a pretty weak argument? Im all for abolishing the mess that you referred to as "education" but really the fact is that this girl looked funny to her peers. If any group of people are regularly exposed to each other, no matter what the enviroment (school, church, home) certain hierarchies always form. She just happened to be at the bottom of the totem pole. School had nothing to do with it, because if it wasn't school, then it might have been something else.. Who knows, now she may get fat, and her ears look too small and she regrets it.

People just need to teach their children better at the home, so when they leave the home they are not hurtful little monsters..

[PaulConventionWV]

Blame the parents for not personally taking care of the kids bullying her.... Our society is pretty f'd up if this is her solution to fit in.

I really don't think this conveys any larger social trends. Sad story, though. Hope she's happy regardless of whether or not cosmetics was really the right option. I have known a few people who wanted to become cosmetic surgeons because they really think cosmetic surgery is a gift and a legitimate way to solve a real problem, no matter how bad the people who want it actually look. They do it because they think they are helping people. I definitely think the practice is abused today, but I also don't know what it's like to have deformities, so I don't judge her for it. I would like to think I wouldn't do it, but I have always been skeptical of permanent changes to your body because something about it strikes me as unhealthy that can really backfire, whether it be now or later in life. The same is true for pretty much every kind of permanent body changes.

To be clear, though, I don't think this kid had deformities. This is one case where I don't think plastic surgery should be recommended. The doctor pretty much reinforced her view of herself by admitting her face was really that bad that it needed $40k worth of free plastic surgery.

[tttppp]

I think most of her problems would have gone away once she got older. In the real world, most adults don't bully others for stupid reasons.

[heavenlyboy34]

I think most of her problems would have gone away once she got older. In the real world, most adults don't bully others for stupid reasons.
lolz, they most certainly do. I've even seen it on these boards.

[Tod]

There is a gal who works at a local Taco Bell who has ears that REALLY stick out, more than this girl's ears. They are more symmetrical, though, and I think they look quite hot, actually.

[tttppp]

lolz, they most certainly do. I've even seen it on these boards.

I haven't seen any bullying in the corporate world. Unlike schools, most companies don't put up with any kind of discimination. If someone files a complaint, the company is forced to deal with it or face lawsuits.

Boards like this is a different story. Its used by many people to act like five years olds.

[Expatriate]

Man I feel terrible when I think about some of the kids I tormented back in the day. I guess it's all part of being a kid though.

It's more a part of being a kid forced into a "eat or be eaten" harsh kind of social situation. A lot of kids feel that the only way to avoid being bullied is to become a bully themselves.

[Expatriate]

People just need to teach their children better at the home, so when they leave the home they are not hurtful little monsters..

Maybe they would if they didn't spend all their time away from home working so they can pay the taxes required to support things such as public schools.

[heavenlyboy34]

I haven't seen any bullying in the corporate world. Unlike schools, most companies don't put up with any kind of discimination. If someone files a complaint, the company is forced to deal with it or face lawsuits.

Boards like this is a different story. Its used by many people to act like five years olds.
Yeah, that's true. I've had the same experience in small businesses. There's generally a code of conduct in such places primarily to please customers, but to comply with the law to a lesser extent.

[heavenlyboy34]

Maybe they would if they didn't spend all their time away from home working so they can pay the taxes required to support things such as public schools.
FWIW, my mom stayed at home with us kids, but my sister still turned out to be a monster. Horrible to deal with, can't keep a full-time job, is obese, etc. I suspect there's a "nature" component to it...our paternal grandma was really mean to her kids.

[Romulus]

She could've just got a set of big fake boobs and she would be set for life.

[dannno]

In the real world, most adults don't bully others for stupid reasons.


http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?259843-Post-Lolmatts-here

[dannno]

She could've just got a set of big fake boobs and she would be set for life.


Hmmm, ya, most guys would be like "Hey did you see that chick I hit on last night? I got her number!"

"Uhh, the one with the big ears?"

"She had ears?"

[PaulConventionWV]

I think most of her problems would have gone away once she got older. In the real world, most adults don't bully others for stupid reasons.

This.

[PaulConventionWV]

I haven't seen any bullying in the corporate world. Unlike schools, most companies don't put up with any kind of discimination. If someone files a complaint, the company is forced to deal with it or face lawsuits.

Boards like this is a different story. Its used by many people to act like five years olds.

Let's just say they mostly don't bully people for those reasons. However, most people learn to fit in an environment that can deal with them when they grow up, and that usually doesn't involve working in some office for a corporation. Just sayin', most people don't go that route.

[Revolution9]

lolz, they most certainly do. I've even seen it on these boards.

I had a billionaire client tease me about teeth missing from the final phase of a dental malpractice healing. When I quit his sorry team I sent him an email about all the stupid bully shit he did to his other employees and that making fun of my teeth was essentially making fun of somebody who doctors crippled. I cannot fix the missing teeth till the gum fills in and heals totally as any prosthesis will have to be remade after the gum heals. My business partner has also been a bully and he is in his forties. I left my last neighborhood due to the influx of adult bullies and the few adults willing to stand up to the pricks.

Rev9

[jeremiahj13]

did she put rocks in her pockets to keep from flying away?

How Rude!

[jeremiahj13]

I thought she was quite cute before the surgery :) Now after the surgery she looks too fake-pretty like an actress or model.

[DerailingDaTrain]

Hmmm, ya, most guys would be like "Hey did you see that chick I hit on last night? I got her number!"

"Uhh, the one with the big ears?"

"She had ears?"

Ever seen this meme?

http://i3.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/302/468/48a.jpg

or this one?

http://i2.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/291/121/989.jpg

[PaulConventionWV]

She could've just got a set of big fake boobs and she would be set for life.

Paper bag not included.

[Rudeman]

I think she looked fine the way she was, I'm not sure the plastic surgery has solved her problems but I hope she's happy now.

I was lucky not to be bullied (friends would poke fun but nothing like what the girl went through) in school.

[tttppp]

Let's just say they mostly don't bully people for those reasons. However, most people learn to fit in an environment that can deal with them when they grow up, and that usually doesn't involve working in some office for a corporation. Just sayin', most people don't go that route.

Most people do get a job though. Unless you go into a profession dominated by men, discrimination and bullying is just not tolerated. I don't know why businesses don't tolerate crap, but schools let kids get away with everything.

[dannno]

Most people do get a job though. Unless you go into a profession dominated by men, discrimination and bullying is just not tolerated. I don't know why businesses don't tolerate crap, but schools let kids get away with everything.

It may simply come down to age. It seems to peak in middle school and begin to phase out in early high school. In college there is almost none.

[tttppp]

It may simply come down to age. It seems to peak in middle school and begin to phase out in early high school. In college there is almost none.

True. In college people find their own groups and tend to leave other people alone. One of my friends who was gay completely changed his personality when he realized nobody was going to give him crap anymore.

[Expatriate]

FWIW, my mom stayed at home with us kids, but my sister still turned out to be a monster. Horrible to deal with, can't keep a full-time job, is obese, etc. I suspect there's a "nature" component to it...our paternal grandma was really mean to her kids.

True, you can give a kid every advantage and they can still turn out bad. But, IMO, to leave most of the "nurture" part up to a public school system is just asking for a little demon forged in the fires of hell. Because school is hell to a significant percentage of children, until they adapt to it.

I have seen the transformation before, not only in myself when I was a child, but also when I was friends with two homeschooled kids in high school. When they first started coming to school they were polite, used a large vocabulary and were always talking about science experiments and inventions they were working on. After a few months of getting made fun of relentlessly and physically assaulted in gym class they didn't talk like that any more, but they still got bullied, apparently for being too smart. One of them started hanging out with stoners and getting high before every class, which apparently made him fit in enough to not be bullied as much. The other one got kicked out and sent to some kind of school for junior delinquents because he made death threats against the kids that were bullying him.

I don't know what has become of either of those children at this point, but I think it's fair to say that school got in the way of them reaching their full potential during their childhood. And that is the most tragic thing to me. The children who have trouble fitting in at school are often the unconventional thinkers, the ones that don't want to go along with whatever the group does. These are our future inventors, innovators, and philosophers. And they are conditioned in high school that to be different is somehow bad, and most of them accept that.

[Working Poor]

I would not have let my child have that surgery. WTF ever happened to accepting yourself the way you are? I have seen much weirder looking people than the girl the article is about. Kids are mean especially if they are in a home where they are treated mean.

[AGRP]

I guess Im the only one who thought her ears looked cute.

[bolil]

I've a double chin that I have considered taking an exactoknife to. Who has the money laying around to pay for plastic robbery? Not I. But I do have a bottle of peroxide, a vaccuum cleaner, and a brand new exacto. I will be beautiful.

[pacelli]

Now the little bastards are going to mess with her because she got plastic surgery due to a facial deformity.

[tttppp]

I guess Im the only one who thought her ears looked cute.

I didn't see anything wrong with her ears. She looked pretty good, her face just looked a little crooked.

[alucard13mmfmj]

well.. if it prevents suicide or a mass shooting, i guess its ok.

[QuickZ06]

Ok, why did they do surgery on a 14 year old. She was still developing. I knew and i'm sure everyone in here has a similar story, a girl from my high school that was not the easiest on the eyes but when she turned 19-20 she was smokin' she had no surgery or anything just a really late bloomer. I think if I was the parents I would have found a different school and let her make the decision when her development stage is complete.

[heavenlyboy34]

I guess Im the only one who thought her ears looked cute.
I thought she was a cute kid too. :)

[Zippyjuan]

http://l3.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/nm4oXAO8IxGrOp3mP07MGQ--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7cT04NTt3PTQ1MA--/http://l.yimg.com/os/590/2012/08/09/ht-nadia-split-kb-120808-wmain-jpg_003142.jpg

Meh, I dunno what to think. It's actually a big improvement, her entire head had (and still has) a bit of a curve to it. She might be happier with the new surgery but it won't solve all of her problems.

Some people want or feel the need to be accepted by their peers more than others and can get pretty down if they feel completely left out.

I'm not a big fan of people getting plastic surgery, but not 100% against it either. I think some people take it too far and become too obsessed and it ends up making them uglier, Michael Jackson and many women in Beverly Hills being the prime example. Plastic surgery has diminishing terms that push into the negatives at some point. In this girl's case, she is now prettier and will probably have a better life, more love, I just hope she doesn't keep wanting to get more plastic surgery because she thinks it will make her happier and can be happy with what she got. Nothing wrong with being happy with what she had before, but clearly she wasn't.

Based on the photos, I would not consider her "deformed" to qualify for the surgery. Most teenagers go through an awkward looking age.

[tttppp]

Ok, why did they do surgery on a 14 year old. She was still developing. I knew and i'm sure everyone in here has a similar story, a girl from my high school that was not the easiest on the eyes but when she turned 19-20 she was smokin' she had no surgery or anything just a really late bloomer. I think if I was the parents I would have found a different school and let her make the decision when her development stage is complete.

I was thinking the same thing. She might have turned out just fine once she fully developed. There were a lot of girls I wasn't interested in when they were 13 to 14, but once they matured were incredibly hot.

[John F Kennedy III]

Ok, why did they do surgery on a 14 year old. She was still developing. I knew and i'm sure everyone in here has a similar story, a girl from my high school that was not the easiest on the eyes but when she turned 19-20 she was smokin' she had no surgery or anything just a really late bloomer. I think if I was the parents I would have found a different school and let her make the decision when her development stage is complete.

The bold part is my biggest issue with this. I remember this girl that used to ride our bus in junior high that my cousin made fun of all the time. I used to tell him that he shouldn't do that because she will end up being super hot in high school. Turns out I was right. In high school she was a certified 10.

[QuickZ06]

The bold part is my biggest issue with this. I remember this girl that used to ride our bus in junior high that my cousin made fun of all the time. I used to tell him that he shouldn't do that because she will end up being super hot in high school. Turns out I was right. In high school she was a certified 10.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fipQisc68dQ

[AGRP]

There is a gal who works at a local Taco Bell who has ears that REALLY stick out, more than this girl's ears. They are more symmetrical, though, and I think they look quite hot, actually.

Yeah, seriously. She looked adorable in one of the pics they showed with her ears poking out of her hair. If she only knew that her ears were cute. Once again, blame the parents.