WHEN Jonathan first met Lyndsey, he thought she was only 12 or 13 years old.
He’s not the only one who gets her age wrong though, because of her youthful features people often assume the 23-year-old is a decade younger.
The couple are no strangers to receiving comments online from cruel trolls[/caption]
They met after Lyndsey’s mum set them up when she was 16[/caption]
Now the pair have a son together and have hit back at the trolls[/caption]
In reality, Lyndsey’s small size is down to a rare form of cancer, which she was diagnosed with at five-years-old.
The cancer resulted in her only growing to 4ft 10in, which means she gets a lot of stares when she’s out in public with her partner Jonathan, who towers above her at 5ft 10in.
The couple recently opened up about some of the negative comments they get from trolls online, and how they deal with them.
Speaking to Truly, Lyndsey said most of the hate started when she revealed she was pregnant.
“She will not be a good mum because she just looks like a child,” one comment read.
“People assume in our relationship that John sees me as a child and we can’t be as happy as we are,” Lyndsey explained.
“It can be hard but because we love one another we just push it to one side,” Johnathan added.
The couple claimed they even had people shouting at them during a day trip to Exmouth when Lyndsey was heavily pregnant.
He said: “Sometimes it’s like, ‘do I really want to go out?’”
The pair tied the knot after starting their relationship together when Lyndsey was 16 and Jonathan was 21, after being set up by Lyndsey’s mum.
Lyndsey spoke to Fabulous during her pregnancy and said: “I’ve encountered criticism all my life with people claiming I’m lying about my age.
“I’m accused of being a ‘nine-year-old playing dress up’ while my man is trolled for being a weirdo.
“I’m asked if I’m in primary school and can’t even buy alcohol without being asked for ID.”
So, the weird looks and mean comments are nothing new to her.
After sharing their story with Truly people were quick to support the pair.
One commented on the video: “Lovely couple & baby! Precious family! I wish them a long & happy life together.”
A second agreed: “What a beautiful family. How wonderful that you found each other. Your little boy is lucky to have you.”
“Congratulations on being great parents! Sorry you have to go through the negativity of others!
“You look very happy together and have a great future together as a family,” another wrote.
And a third chimed in: “Congratulations on your beautiful baby boy. He’s adorable. Don’t listen to the haters. It’s their problem, not yours.
“To be honest you come across as an adult. I wouldn’t have thought you were a child, just very petite. You all are a lovely family.”
Lyndsey stopped growing after being diagnosed with a rare cancer[/caption]
The couple have even had people shout things at them in person[/caption]
What is rhabdomyosarcoma?
Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is a type of soft tissue sarcoma that grows in active muscles of the body.
They are extremely rare – about 3,300 new cases are diagnosed each year in the UK.
These are muscles we control (for example, to move arms or legs).
The most common places for rhabdomyosarcoma are the head, neck, bladder, vagina, arms, legs and trunk of the body.
Very rarely, rhabdomyosarcoma can also be found in other places, such as in the prostate gland, middle ear and bile duct system.
There are three types of rhabdomyosarcoma which affect different age groups:
- Embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma which is most common in young children and often appears in the head and neck region and especially in tissues around the eye
- Alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma which tends to occur in older children and adolescents and occurs more often in the arms, legs, chest or abdomen
- Pleomorphic rhabdomyosarcoma which typically occurs in middle-aged people
What are the symptoms:
- a lump that you can see or feel
- blockage or discharge from the nose
- changes in swallowing
- changes in hearing
- swollen eye
- pain in the stomach
- difficulty passing stools
- blood in your pee
- vaginal discharge
