1. A New Face With A New Outlook
I've had a Port Wine Stain birthmark on my right cheek since the day I was born. It was
dark purple in color and spread from the bottom of my eyes to my lips. My Port Wine
Stain looked like a dark purplish bruise; a bruise that would not leave me. To this day, no
one knows what caused it. No other member of my immediate family was inflicted with
it, before my birth or since.
When I was about 40 days old, my parents took me to a very famous hospital in Canton,
China. During that time, Port Wine Stain birthmarks were quite uncommon, and the
doctors did not know how to treat me. They considered using laser surgery, however, due
to the close proximity of the birthmark to my eye, they decided against it. They feared the
laser might damage the nerves in my right eye which would lead to blindness. They
advised my parents to hold off on the surgery until I was a bit older. My parents adhered
to the advice and thus, it was not until many years later that I would again enter a doctor’s
office to rid myself of this ‘bruise’.
Growing up with a Port Wine Stain in a Chinese family was very difficult. I tried to live
my life just like any typical child, not worrying how I looked, but all my relatives and
family friends made me feel like an outcast. They treated me horribly, which of course,
hurt my feelings deeply. I couldn't believe they could be so mean and emotionless,
treating a child that way. I was depressed and unwilling to face the world for a very long
time, until one day when I realized that no one in this world was perfect, including my
relatives and family friends. Everyone has some imperfections. I don't know if they ever
realized it, but I found that to be the truth. No one is perfect in this world, and to those
who might think they are, I would say, "Wake up and smell the coffee!" My immediate
family, however, was very supportive, as were my friends. I am lucky to have them.
One day when I was doing volunteer work at Vancouver Children's Hospital, I came
across a poster of children born with facial marks. After making a number of phone calls,
I was able to track down a dermatologist by the name of Dr. Harvy Lui, who specialized
in the treatment of birthmarks. During that time, I didn't know what my birthmark was
called. I only knew how to describe it. I was 19 years old. The time had come.
Dr. Lui turned out to be Chinese, which was wonderful. I now had a doctor that not only
understood my Port Wine Stain, but also understood the Chinese upbringing. This helped
a lot in dealing with not only my physical scars, but the emotional ones as well.
Dr. Lui explained to me the kind of laser he was going to use to treat my Port Wine Stain.
The treatment was called Pulse Dye Laser Treatment. He informed me that because of
my yellow skin pigmentation, he could not predict the outcome of the treatment. We were
going to have to wait and see. Unfortunately, he could not tell me in advance if any of the
colorization would go away, or how much of the surface area taken up by the stain would
decrease in size after the treatment. However, Dr. Lui was willing to take on the

2. challenge to make me look better. Two months after my initial consultation, I went to see
Dr. Lui for my very first treatment. I was very frightened. My oldest sister came with me,
and held my hand throughout the surgery. Dr. Lui used Emla to freeze my face. After
waiting for about 30 minutes, Dr. Lui was ready to do the surgery. We all had to wear
goggles because of the laser. I will never forget how it felt when the first beam hit my
face.
It was so painful that words cannot describe it. It's basically like someone repeatedly
snapping an elastic band on your face, at a temperature of 100 degrees. It was
excruciating. I screamed and cried after only one zip. Dr. Lui said we must go on. The
laser treatment was so painful that I don't even remember how many zips he gave me, but
it felt like at least a hundred. I cried with every zip. My eyes were red from crying, and
my face was so hot because of the heat, that it looked like it was burnt.
After this first experience, I refused to go back and do more surgeries. In about one
week's time my face healed. I was amazed. After two weeks, I could see holes in my
birthmark where the color of my skin was peeking through. My whole family was so
pleased with the result of the first treatment, that they strongly encouraged me to do more
surgeries. I was very pleased with the results myself, so I managed to find other ways of
dealing with the pain. Now whenever I go in for surgery, I bring a disc-man and listen to
my favorite dance songs while Dr. Lui zips me with laser beams. It works just fine. My
mind concentrates on listening to my favorite songs. I hardly feel any pain.
It has been twenty years now, that I've been seeing Dr. Lui, and I've had 69 laser
treatments. I think Dr. Lui is an amazing Doctor because he's helped a lot of patients with
Port Wine Stain get the results that please them. My Port Wine Stain decreased to half the
size it was and the color is much lighter now. Where it was a dark purple, it's now a light
pink. From afar you can hardly tell that I have a birthmark on my face. I will continue
seeing Dr. Lui until my birthmark disappears completely. No rush. I will take my time.
I'll go for treatments when I feel like it. Now Dr. Lui has a new laser machine, and when
it zips you, it doesn't hurt. The last time I went for a treatment I hardly felt any pain at all.
I wasn't even listening to my music. I had forgotten my disc-man at home!
I think I'm very lucky to have a Port Wine Stain. I'm not embarrassed by it, nor do I feel
like an outcast because of it. I think I'm just a normal person like everyone else in this
world. I know for a fact that I'm a little bit luckier than other people, because I got to
meet a wonderful doctor named Dr. Lui. He is not just my doctor, he is also a very
supportive friend. And I'm very lucky to have a family that loves me no matter what I
look like.
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