Girl Ashamed of Own Face Goes on Stage to Feed Family, Luxe Car Stops at Her Yard Soon After — Story of the Day

A poor girl with a burn scar on her face hates looking at her own reflection. Circumstances prompt her to brave all odds and go on stage, knowing little about who would come for her the next day.

Scars are a painful and permanent reminder of an ailment or an accident. And for that reason, some people always have a negative perception of them. Some would even go to great lengths to cover up their scars. But why not embrace them?

14-year-old Lia hated looking at herself in the mirror. She was not comfortable in her own skin and feared people would label her 'ugly' after seeing the burn scar on her face. Almost everyone who noticed the blemish would often ask her how it happened, and it hurt her every time she had to recall that tragedy...

When Lia was five, she was sleeping beside her mother, Sandra, and sisters Ryan and Riley when a fire broke out, destroying their world.

Lia's dad, Chris, who was out in their barn then, dragged his family to safety. Sadly, Sandra succumbed to her injuries. Lia was the last to be pulled out of the fire, but just as she made a successful leap behind her father, a chunk of burning wood brushed against her face, scarring her beauty for a lifetime.

"I heard you sing, and you honestly have such a sweet voice. But that's not what I've come here for—"

Chris suffered a stroke shortly after. He lost his ability to walk, and since his job was not wheelchair-friendly, he could no longer work. It appeared as though fate had only the worst plans for this family.

Their condition did not improve even years later. Chris managed to provide for the family with his retirement allowance. He sent his daughters to school and did everything possible to improve their lives. But their difficulties never ceased, mainly after Chris gave up a considerable chunk of his savings for his mother-in-law's heart treatment.

Ultimately, he ran out of savings. It was the biggest blow considering he had three young girls to feed. He barely had any groceries left, with his benefits payout still two weeks away. To survive, Chris skipped his dinner daily, so his daughters had enough to eat.

While Ryan and Riley were naive about their father's sacrifice, Lia knew everything, and she couldn't bear to watch her daddy struggling so much. She wanted to help him. She just couldn't simply watch him go to sleep hungry.

"But who will help me?" Lia thought. "How am I going make our lives better?" She cried, looking at herself in the mirror at the ugly scar that stared back at her like an ominous curse.

The next afternoon, a pamphlet promoting a local music contest landed on Lia's foot. Lia's eyes were full of hope when she read it and saw that the cash price was $25,000. An idea came to her, and she hurried home to look for an old guitar in the attic.

Lia locked herself in her room, not wanting her sisters to laugh at her. She stood in front of the mirror, adjusting the chords of the guitar, and sang a melody her dad always used to sing to her when she was little.

With the date for the contest arriving in three days, Lia rehearsed whenever she found time. She was nervous, but she did not lose hope. She wanted to surprise her dad, so she didn't tell him what she was up to.

But one day, her music teacher ripped her confidence and yelled at her for writing poems during his class...

"Lyricist, huh? Why don't you sing us a song in front of the class then, rockstar?" he shouted at her. The other students burst into laughter. Lia was embarrassed and ran out, crying. She already had stage fright, and this worsened her fears.

"God, will I be able to do this? I'm scared to face people, let alone stand on stage. How will I expose my talent? People will only see my scar. I'm afraid they will laugh at me," she cried herself to sleep the night before the contest.

The big day arrived, and Lia was nervous. But she mustered all her confidence and walked onto the stage. She was sweating and could feel her heart pound faster, conscious of the people staring back at her, staring at her scar with pity, or worse, in disgust. Then people started cheering and clapping, and it frightened her even more.

She held the mic and sang one of the songs she had written. Although she performed well, she did not make it to the final round. Lia was terribly upset and returned home heartbroken...

"That cash prize was my only hope to make things better at home," she said to herself, crying along in her room. "I'm sorry for letting you down, daddy."

Lia did not go to school the next day, fearing everybody would mock her. She was sitting on the doorstep when a luxe car stopped outside their yard. A man stepped out of the car and waved at her. She had never met the man before.

She shyly waved back and stood up to move closer.

He was a tall man wearing expensive clothes and smiled at Lia.

"Hey there! I am so glad to see you," said the man who introduced himself as Bradley. He was a music composer.

"Hi!" replied Lia, unsure why he had come and why he was there.

"I saw you at the contest yesterday," Bradley revealed. "I heard you sing, and you have such a sweet voice. But that's not what I came here for—"

"I don't understand," Lia expressed.

"Lia, I loved the lyrics of your song, and I learned you wrote them yourself. So I asked for your address from the contest organizers and came here to offer you to write songs for our albums."

Lia was stunned. Moreover, Bradley wasn't bothered about the scar on her face. What mattered to him was her talent and not her appearance.

Lia was too delighted that day. She pictured her family's fate going from bad to better and immediately accepted the offer. She told her dad about the contest and the offer she received to write songs for a music company.

"Your love for me and your sisters is bringing tears of joy to my eyes, sweetheart. Thank you so much. I'm so proud of you," cried Chris.

Lia's talent eventually took her to greater heights. She rose to stardom in her little town, and those who ridiculed her were amazed at her success.

Lia started to earn well at a young age, and she managed to improve her family's living conditions. She paid for her father's leg surgery and helped him restore his ability to walk.

Her dad was proud of her and even advised her to undergo reconstructive burn surgery. But Lia refused. "I was ashamed to look at my face in the mirror, but I realized that talent is what counts the most, not beauty. I am happy the way I am!" she said.

What can we learn from this story?

• Determination helps overcome every obstacle, including fear. Lia had stage fright, but she overcame it to perform in the music contest and help her family. Although she didn't win, fate had better plans for her when a music composer offered her a job.
• Honor the sacrifices your parents make for you. When Lia learned about her dad skipping his dinner so she and her sisters would have enough to eat, she decided to help him. Despite having stage fright due to the scar on her face, she participated in a music contest to win the cash prize and feed her family.

A teenage girl is ashamed of her father and hides him from everyone. One day, her school friends come to her house to honor him. Click here to read the full story.

This piece is inspired by stories from the everyday lives of our readers and written by a professional writer. Any resemblance to actual names or locations is purely coincidental. All images are for illustration purposes only. Share your story with us; maybe it will change someone's life. If you would like to share your story, please send it to info@amomama.com.