Two girls were bullied so much because of their different looks that they turned to surgery to stop the bullying. INSIDE EDITION is with the girls who underwent a confidence building surgery to make them feel better.
Abby DuBois' ears stick out. And it breaks her heart when kids pick on her.
Amaya Kendall has a big mole on her face, and she gets bullied, too.
"People tease me and bully me because I’m so different from everyone else,” said Kendall.
All these little girls ever wished for was an end to the bullying over the way they looked. And now, their wishes are about to come true.
DuBois, an 11-year-old from Ohio, has come to the Manhattan Eye, Ear and Throat Hospital in New York City for an operation that will place her ears closer to her head. Her tearful mom wishes her luck.
"I love you," DuBois' mother tells her daughter.
Meanwhile, 13-year-old Kendall has come to the same hospital all the way from San Antonio, Texas, to have the mole removed from her cheek. Her mom says it best.
"I just want Amaya to feel as beautiful as we already know she is," said her mother.
Surgeons go to work on DuBois' ears. It's a painstaking two-and-a-half hour procedure.
And Kendall’s mole is about to become a thing of the past as doctors work to remove it.
Both operations are courtesy of the Little Baby Face Foundation, which is devoted to correcting facial deformities in children.
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A week later, it's the moment of truth.
"Okay, we're going to take this dressing off,” said the doctor.
DuBois had not yet seen her new ears, as they had been shielded by protective cups.
Did the operation work?
It certainly did. Just look at those beautiful ears. DuBois' mom is overcome with emotion.
"I don't know how to tell you thank you enough," said the little girl’s mother.
And next was magical moment the bandage was taken off Kendall's face. That mole is gone.
Kendall asked, "Can I touch it?"
"It's beautiful. Look at that," her mother said.
In time, the scars will fade. And with luck, so will their memories of being bullied just because they looked different.
"Are you happy?” DuBois’ mother asked.
"Yeah," said DuBois.
