"I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear," said the legend Nelson Mandela. The quote defines the journey of Mahogany Geter, a 23-year-old model from Knoxville, Tennessee.
Geter was born with a condition called 'Lymphedema', due to which her left leg swelled up after excess fluid got collected in the body's soft tissue, informs Daily Mail. There is no cure for the condition. The excess fluid that builds up in her leg can only be eased with physiotherapy and a lymphatic drainage massage.
Geter's leg adds 100lb to her 300lb total body weight, but she has vowed to never have it amputated.
After years of suffering ignorant comments and bullying as a child, the aspiring model now calmly ignores online trolls and proudly shows off her disability with empowering photoshoots on Instagram @lymph.goddess23.
Here are some of her photos.
Trolls try to mock Mahogany with comments telling her to 'amputate her leg so she will look better' but she has learnt to ignore them.
Geter said to Daily Mail, "I have had my fair share of ignorant comments, one person told me my leg looked like a ham roll and one girl at school called me a deformed b***h. It has been so hard to rise above these mean people but I have no other choice."
"For the longest, I felt so low about myself but once I got older and with loads of support from the online lymphedema community and my mom who is my inspiration, she is so strong, I realised how beautiful I am. Not only looks but as a person," said Geter.
She further added, "I want to inspire other people to celebrate their differences. I now believe I am beautiful on the inside and out. I'm proud of what my body can do."
Speaking about her ambitions, Geter says, "If I ever make it big I want to buy my mother a house and take care of my family, then I'll do everything I can to raise awareness of lymphedema to pay it back to everyone who has ever shown me kindness."
