Erez Gaon was born with nevus pigmentosus, a condition where a person’s body is covered with extensive birthmarks.
When the boy was born, the doctors immediately wrapped him in a diaper because they didn’t know how to tell his mother about his unusual appearance.
Worst of all, the same birthmarks are present in Erez’s spinal cord and brain, making him prone to epileptic seizures.
Despite his condition, Erez is a very sociable and cheerful child.
He has grown accustomed to the surprised looks and is tolerant of questions and interest in the features of his appearance.
However, a recent incident made his mother, Ruth, angry.
While walking around the city, Erez and Ruth encountered a mother and daughter on the other side of the street who pointed at the boy, openly laughed at him, and made hurtful comments.
Ruth was outraged by this behavior and wrote a post on her Facebook page expressing her feelings.
She admitted that she wanted to confront the woman, but Erez’s reaction surprised and touched her deeply. He simply smiled, took his mother’s hand, and continued walking.
Back at home, Ruth asked her son to draw dots all over her face to resemble his birthmarks.
Her post went viral, and she started receiving similar photos from strangers who wanted to support Erez. This led to a real social media movement with the hashtag #FriendsofErez.
Despite the hurtful incident, Erez’s example taught his mother to forgive.
She wrote, “I have decided to forgive you. My son makes me a better person every day.”
