discovered that it was a tumour
that was causing Cody’s facial
disfigurement. If it had been left
even two more weeks without
treatment it could have spread
behind her eye – causing
blindness or even death.
Thankfully, surgery to
remove it was successful, but
for the next 14 years, Cody
underwent more than 18
procedures to improve the
appearance of her scarred face.
‘More than £200,000
(AU$355,850) was raised by
the people in my town and
I was hugely grateful, but
being an insecure teenager
was hard enough, without
adding everyone knowing
who you are,’ Cody admits.
As a result, she sought
refuge online – talking
to other teens who she
didn’t know.
‘I felt more confident
online, no-one could see
me, so I would
use picture editing
software to make
my face look more
symmetrical,’ Cody
explains.
‘It was nice to speak
to people who didn’t
know my story.
‘I didn’t have to be the
girl with the deformities,
I could just be Cody and
people tended to just talk to meabout everyday teenage things
instead of tumours and scars.’
Cody was 16 when she
started chatting to Lewis, then
17, on an online forum – and she
says she knew straight away that
he was different.
‘I felt relaxed when we were
talking and from the moment we
started chatting online, we didn’t
stop,’ Cody recalls. ‘I wasn’t
allowed to meet people I had
spoken to online by myself, so
I begged my friend Karen to
come along to meet him with me.’
She explained that she’d met
a cute boy online and needed her
mate’s help.
‘She rolled her eyes, but
sensing my desperation, she
said: “Alright. Third-wheeling
all day is going to be fun,” ’ Cody
remembers.
Like most first dates, it was
a little awkward. ‘At first, his
silence made me self-conscious,
I wondered whether he was put
off by my scars, which I had
tried to hide with make-up but
were clearly visible,’ Cody says.
But smitten Lewis told Cody
she looked stunning – calling
her his ‘princess’ and making her
feel like ‘the most beautiful girl
in the world’. Within three
months he was telling her that
one day they would marry.
Meanwhile, Cody’s confidence
was growing. ‘I learnt how to
mask my scars with make-up
and the reconstructive
surgery meant that
my disfigurement was
significantly reduced,’
she says. ‘I had always
wondered whetherI would have children, before
Lewis. I wondered how they
might feel about my scars.
‘But Lewis made me feel so
comfortable that the prospect
of having our own family
seemed like a dream come true.’
So when the pair went on to
welcome baby Jack, they were
understandably thrilled.
A few years later Lewis
popped the question while
holidaying in Florida with
Cody’s family.
Tragically, Cody’s mum
had been diagnosed with breast
cancer which had spread to her
lungs – so the pair wanted
to marry as quickly as possible
so she could be there.
‘It was so important for my
mum to be there and with her
health declining, we planned
the whole day in less than three
months – but in truth, I had
been planning our wedding in
my head for years,’ Cody says.
Theresa helped her choose
a classic white gown for the
occasion and she had her
make-up done professionally
for the big day. ‘For the first
time, I truly felt beautiful,’
Cody says.
The church was filled with
supporters and there was hardly
a dry eye as the childhood
sweethearts said their vows.
It’s a moment Cody says she
will never forget.
‘I had always feared that
I wouldn’t get my happily ever
after, but in that moment, all of
my dreams came true.’
By Hannah Carroll and
Katherine DavisonDoctors were
initially baffled
as to what
was causing
Cody’s facial
disfigurement
(right) but the
community
rallied around
to help pay for
treatment in the
US. Cody has
since gone on
to marry her
soulmate
Lewis (left).DREAMS CA ME TRUE
DISFIGURED
AS A BABY,
CODY FELT
BEAUTIFUL
AS A BRIDE
‘I FEARED^
I WOULDN’T
GET MY
HAPPILY EVER
AFTER’ALL MY
REAL-LIFE