Living like a monk
The world is full of stories about how people respond to crises. Many of these are heroic. People surprise themselves and the others around them by confronting terrible emergencies and surviving. Others are more everyday, but the people can respond equally well (or not). One of the more common disabling conditions is acne. What makes “skin problems” so difficult is that it usually strikes younger people who are not yet equipped to deal with the cruelty of those around them.
One person we tracked down is Michael Krajicek. He is now 18 years old and still living with his parents in Chicago. The acne came when he was just turning 13. Blackheads, whiteheads, nothing would make them go away. Five years on, he is beginning to find more peace of mind. Sitting in his bedroom, he managed a disarming smile, “I think I would be quite a good looking guy if only I didn’t still have all these acne problems.” We asked him about how he came to give up school. “The way I look was giving me low self esteem. The result? I had no real confidence. I never seemed to make any friends. Even the teachers had a down on me. The way people judge you when you have acne. It’s terrible!”
Michael described some quite serious bullying and showed us some of the web chat and forum posts made about him. “About a year ago,” he went on, “I was so upset I secluded myself from the rest of the world. I gave up school and stayed at home. The TV and laptop were my only friends.” He managed another of those shy smiles. “I couldn’t even talk to my parents. It was like I was in solitary confinement.”
Looking at him today, you cannot help but see the acne but Michael assures us that there has been a big improvement recently. He attributes this to gentle washing twice a day with ordinary soap, but most importantly, he has avoided the sunlight during summer. He says he goes out at night on his own. He wants to get used to the idea of being around people again. “I pray I am growing out of it.” He sighed. “Perhaps my life will come together again sometime soon.” We hope so too. He is such a pleasant person to have been victimized in this way. Fortunately, he has not been completely crushed. We hope he will soon be able to give up his seclusion. When we asked the High School for a comment, no-one was available to respond.