A man living with a facial difference has quit his job to focus on helping children who are bullied for being different.
Amit Ghose, 34, was born with neurofibromatosis type 1 - a condition that causes tumours to grow along nerves.
Amit has taken a “leap of faith” in quitting his role as a regional manager at a law firm in favour of pursuing a career as a motivational speaker.
At the age of 11, Amit had his left eye surgically removed in a gruelling 18 hour procedure which led to him wearing an eye patch for six months while his prosthetic was developed.
Amit said this invited verbal abuse and shunning from his fellow pupils.
He said: “With Halloween coming up, a kid said to me: ‘You don’t need a Halloween mask, you’ve got one for life.’
“That comment absolutely broke me, I still think about it every Halloween.”
Amit, who is from Selly Oak, Birmingham, said he now channels this experience when he is talking at schools.
He said: “I tell school children to be mindful of what they say to others as what might be banter for them was a lifelong scar to me.”
While Amit acknowledges that many schools cannot afford to pay around £250 for half a day of talks, he has set up a GoFundMe page which has raised more than £1,700 so far.
Amit was encouraged to play sport, taking up cricket and making it into the team at Selly Oak Academy.
He said: “I was bullied a lot - I was lonely, nobody wanted to talk to me or sit next to me.
“I went from the boy with a funny face to the boy who plays cricket.”
Amit was encouraged to put on his first talk by his manager, who asked if he would speak at his daughter’s school.
After his first talk, Amit saw an article on Little Hearts Matter written by the mother of a boy who has undergone multiple open heart surgeries and a heart transplant.
The article said the boy, Vinnie, came home from school after a talk from Amit feeling inspired, with plans to take up football and become a motivational speaker when older.
Amit said: “That moved me to the point I quit my job and decided to do this full time.”
Amit said his father, Kamala Kanto Ghose, had always encouraged Amit to live a normal life, standing up for his son when others voiced concern for his safety when playing cricket.
Amit recalled: “He would say: ‘If he wants to play, he’ll play.”
Kamala was calm and put on a brave face to Amit before his eye surgery.
But it was not until after Kamala passed away in 2009 that Amit learnt his father had broken down in tears at home while the surgery took place.
Amit was introduced to Piyali, 27, a make-up artist originally from India, through a family friend in May 2021.
The pair fell in love and married in India in December 2021.
Amit is a global advisor to Billion Strong and an ambassador to Face Equality International.
Amit's fundraising page - https://www.gofundme.com/f/2srv99-support-my-journey
Amit Ghose, 34, was born with neurofibromatosis type 1 - a condition that causes tumours to grow along nerves.
Amit has taken a “leap of faith” in quitting his role as a regional manager at a law firm in favour of pursuing a career as a motivational speaker.
At the age of 11, Amit had his left eye surgically removed in a gruelling 18 hour procedure which led to him wearing an eye patch for six months while his prosthetic was developed.
Amit said this invited verbal abuse and shunning from his fellow pupils.
He said: “With Halloween coming up, a kid said to me: ‘You don’t need a Halloween mask, you’ve got one for life.’
“That comment absolutely broke me, I still think about it every Halloween.”
Amit, who is from Selly Oak, Birmingham, said he now channels this experience when he is talking at schools.
He said: “I tell school children to be mindful of what they say to others as what might be banter for them was a lifelong scar to me.”
While Amit acknowledges that many schools cannot afford to pay around £250 for half a day of talks, he has set up a GoFundMe page which has raised more than £1,700 so far.
Amit was encouraged to play sport, taking up cricket and making it into the team at Selly Oak Academy.
He said: “I was bullied a lot - I was lonely, nobody wanted to talk to me or sit next to me.
“I went from the boy with a funny face to the boy who plays cricket.”
Amit was encouraged to put on his first talk by his manager, who asked if he would speak at his daughter’s school.
After his first talk, Amit saw an article on Little Hearts Matter written by the mother of a boy who has undergone multiple open heart surgeries and a heart transplant.
The article said the boy, Vinnie, came home from school after a talk from Amit feeling inspired, with plans to take up football and become a motivational speaker when older.
Amit said: “That moved me to the point I quit my job and decided to do this full time.”
Amit said his father, Kamala Kanto Ghose, had always encouraged Amit to live a normal life, standing up for his son when others voiced concern for his safety when playing cricket.
Amit recalled: “He would say: ‘If he wants to play, he’ll play.”
Kamala was calm and put on a brave face to Amit before his eye surgery.
But it was not until after Kamala passed away in 2009 that Amit learnt his father had broken down in tears at home while the surgery took place.
Amit was introduced to Piyali, 27, a make-up artist originally from India, through a family friend in May 2021.
The pair fell in love and married in India in December 2021.
Amit is a global advisor to Billion Strong and an ambassador to Face Equality International.
Amit's fundraising page - https://www.gofundme.com/f/2srv99-support-my-journey
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FunTranscript
00:00So my name's Amit Ghosh and I have grown up living with neurofibromatosis type 1
00:08which has affected my left face. I've grown up with a lot of challenges, a lot
00:16of people judging you for the way you look, a lot of people making assumptions
00:23about what I can and can't do, but ultimately I've embraced who I am, I
00:30celebrate who I am and I hope to inspire others with my story and what I do to
00:39sort of help myself along the journey.