Guiding the Light in the Darkness: A Mother's Courage in Nurturing a Child with a Congenital Malformation.

The heartbreaking story of a mother who was targeted by online trolls after sharing photos of her baby, who was born with severe facial defo...

The heartbreaking story of a mother who was targeted by online trolls after sharing photos of her baby, who was born with severe facial deformities, recently emerged.

Despite her courageous decision to spread awareness about her son's condition, trolls responded with insensitive and malicious comments, suggesting that she should kill her own child. This traumatic experience highlights the dark side of social media, where people can hide behind anonymity and inflict emotional pain on others without consequences.

This distressing incident highlights the need for greater empathy and understanding towards those living with disabilities and the devastating impact online hate and negativity can have on individuals and families.

Amy Ward, 24, of Illinois, gave birth to her son Elijah on January 31, 2020. He was born with a rare condition called amniotic ribbon syndrome, which occurs when a break occurs in the sac of fluid surrounding the fetus during pregnancy, causing entrapment of the baby. This can cause limb differences, cleft lip, open palate, and even death.

In Elijah's case, the condition caused damage to his left foot, right hand and face, leaving him with a cleft lip and open palate. It also caused severe microphthalmia, a developmental disorder of the eye, which left his right eye much smaller and unable to react to light.

Amy shared photos of Elijah on the social media platform TikTok, saying she was met with overwhelming support from well-meaning strangers, but also faced disgusting comments from trolls who asked why she hadn't had an abortion on child.

The 24-year-old woman says these comments hurt her a lot because her seven-month-old is such a happy baby who loves absolutely everyone he meets. Elijah faces three surgeries in the next six months, and Amy, Dyllan and their baby face an uncertain future, so they've set up a GoFundMe page to help cover the ongoing costs of treatment.