A 35-year-old Indian-origin man with a rare genetic condition has alleged that he was refused service at a cafe because of his facial disfigurement, a report by the BBC said. Amit Ghose is a motivational speaker who was born with Neurofibromatosis type 1, a rare genetic condition that causes non-cancerous tumours. The condition caused facial disfigurement because of which he was subjected to brutal bullying as a child.
However, Ghose was shocked when he was refused service in a cafe because of his condition. The Birmingham resident said when he visited an independent coffee shop in London recently, he felt like everyone looked at him like he was a "ghost".
“They looked at me like I was a ghost”
"Everyone was staring at me, and it was like they'd almost seen a ghost. The person serving looked at me and said: 'Oh, we're not serving anymore'. She turned around and walked off. But clearly, clearly they were still serving," Ghose recounted to the BBC.
At just 11, Amit had his left eye surgically removed which caused further facial disfigurement that led to more abuse and bullying. A cricket lover, it was through the sport that he was able to make friends when children his age refused to even sit next to him.
Lifelong bullying and a mission to inspire
Ghose said he was bullied and made fun of throughout his life because of his facial disfigurement and now shares his motivational story in schools to help children "embrace their personalities and celebrate who they are".
{{/usCountry}}Ghose said he was bullied and made fun of throughout his life because of his facial disfigurement and now shares his motivational story in schools to help children "embrace their personalities and celebrate who they are".
{{/usCountry}}He even published a children's book, Born Different, after he was recently abused. "I had a couple of individuals come over to me in a park and ask me what happened to my face, and I thought they were just being curious. But actually, they started laughing, giggling, saying: 'Oh my God, if I had a face like you I wouldn't even come out of my house'," he said.
It was his wife Piyali who pushed him to share his story online through social media. After joining TikTok in 2023, he has gained almost 200,000 followers.
"Disability or no disability, visible difference or no visible difference, we all have insecurities, we all have things that we're faced with, and challenges we're faced with. I just want to give this narrative to people that if we truly celebrate who we are, accept who we are, fall in love with who we are, then we can be more confident," he said.