Mother with 200 tumors due to neurofibromatosis says her daughter helped her gain confidence

A mother who is covered head-to-toe in more than 200 tumors due to a rare condition says she’s found her confidence because her eight-year-old daughter who has the same condition ‘doesn’t care what people think’.

Jamila Gordon, 33, from St Croix, US Virgin Islands, was diagnosed with neurofibromatosis when she was a baby when a lump formed on her stomach.

Since, she has developed hundreds of tumors on every part of her body and says strangers stares on the street has knocked her confidence and ‘made her anxious’. 

But her daughter, Tatyana, eight, has helped her to find confidence again as despite people staring she ‘doesn’t care what anyone thinks’.  

Since, she has developed hundreds of tumors on every part of her body and says strangers stares on the street has knocked her confidence and ‘made her anxious’.

But her daughter, Tatyana, eight, has helped her to find confidence again as despite people staring she ‘doesn’t care what anyone thinks

Jamila said: ‘The tumors hurt and they’re really itchy. They’re all over my body and on on the bottom of my feet which makes it difficult to walk.

‘I have too many to count but I would say I have more than 200.

‘It really affected my confidence and took me a while to get my confidence back.

‘I do get really nervous and depressed and I get anxious because people stare at me.

Jamila was diagnosed when she was a baby when her motherfound a lump on her stomach and she’s since had some of the tumors removed only for them to grow back

Jamila says that people feel so uncomfortable around her that she’s even lost work due to the way she looks

Tatyana has also been diagnosed with the disease, which is genetic, and Jamila says although she worries for her future, it was Tatyana who helped her get some of her confidence back

‘Children stare at me, some people will come and ask but a lot will just stand and stare.

‘When I was younger I got teased at school so I found it hard to learn and I never wanted to go.

‘It’s affected me getting into relationships because of my confidence and because the condition makes me depressed.’

Jamila was diagnosed when she was a baby when her mother found a lump on her stomach and she’s since had some of the tumors removed only for them to grow back.

Jamila says that people feel so uncomfortable around her that she’s even lost work due to the way she looks.

She said: ‘I used to work in a nursery where the kids loved me, they would stroke my tumors and were really curious but I could tell the parents were uncomfortable and the next thing I knew, I was told I couldn’t work there anymore.

‘That’s happened a few times. It’s a shame because I love kids but it has been hard to get a job because of my condition.’

Tatyana has also been diagnosed with the disease, which is genetic, and Jamila says although she worries for her future, it was Tatyana who helped her get some of her confidence back.

She said: ‘It took a long time to get my confidence back but I got a lot of it back because of Tatyana.

‘She’s just started to notice that people are staring but she doesn’t care what anyone thinks.

‘After school, she shouts my name and runs straight over to me for a hug.

‘Every day I try and put a smile on my face and be the best woman and mother I can be for my daughter who loves me for who I am.

‘I do worry about Tatyana though because she also has the disease.

‘She’s developed little spots so far and the doctor said they won’t grow in tumors but you never know with this condition. 

‘They could get bigger when she reaches puberty.’