Mahogany Geter, a 24-year-old aspiring model, was born with a rare condition that left her with a 100-lb leg. After a lifetime of facing difficulties, Geter’s life changed forever when she was offered a chance to model, starting her off on a journey of spreading the message of body positivity to others.
Bright Side found her story inspiring and a great example of how beauty can be found everywhere, and wanted to share Geter’s story of self-love with you.
She was born with a rare condition.
Mahogany Geter, a resident of Tennessee, was born with a rare condition that left her with a left leg that weighs 100 lb. The condition, known as lymphedema, can cause excess fluids to collect in the soft tissue of the body and lead to swelling. For Geter, her entire left side of the body is impacted by this, but only her leg is the most visible.
Geter was diagnosed with the condition right after she was born, and it made it extremely difficult for her to walk. “It drains my energy, of course, because it’s an extra 100 pounds,” she said. The condition makes her more susceptible to contracting fibrosis, and the only way to manage it is through physiotherapy and massages to drain the excess fluid in her leg.
She had a difficult time growing up.
The model talked about how she faced many difficulties growing up: “I’ve been through a very depressed state because you’re a little kid, and you have a bunch of grown adults staring at you.” She would receive many unwarranted comments from others and was teased throughout her childhood. “I will say it probably can affect you more mentally and emotionally,” she revealed.
“As a child, I never felt pretty. I felt ugly, like a freak of nature, and cried in private so many times,” said Geter. She had been suggested surgery by many doctors, but she turned it down every time, stating that in some other, more severe cases, surgery hadn’t completely gotten rid of the growth. Instead, she chose to accept herself as she was.
She began her modeling journey in 2017.
Geter’s life changed forever in 2017 when she was spotted by a photographer while she was working at Walmart. Initially thinking it was fake, the young woman eventually agreed to let the photographer take pictures of her. “I was like, ’I’m getting older now, maybe it’s time I start putting my full body out there,’ and hopefully me doing that can help somebody else,” she said.
This one opportunity catapulted Geter’s career as a model. Following this, she was featured in a viral YouTube video that amassed over 10 million views. Her presence on Instagram and other social media platforms has also increased. “Mainly, I’ve gotten a lot of positive responses, and the ones I like the most are that it helps people that also feel low about themselves,” she said.
She aims to help others embrace their unique bodies.
Despite her increased presence on the internet resulting in some Internet trolls, Geter has remained positive throughout, saying, “People have been so nice and supportive of me online. It isn’t all trolling and negativity.” She has remained consistent in spreading body positivity and encouraging others to be more comfortable in their bodies.
Geter is committed to her dream of becoming a model. “If I ever make it big, I want to buy my mother a house and take care of my family, then I’ll do everything I can to raise awareness of lymphedema to pay it back to everyone who has ever shown me kindness.” She continues to use her condition to inspire others to celebrate their differences as well.
Her journey has inspired many.
Although Geter’s journey has been hard, she has learned to accept herself and vows to spread this attitude to others. “For the longest, I felt so low about myself, but once I got older and with loads of support from the online lymphedema community and my mom who is my inspiration, I realized how beautiful I am. Not only looks, but as a person.”
What part of Mahogany Geter’s journey resonated with you the most? Do you have any advice for those that struggle to accept their bodies? Share it with us.
Preview photo credit lymph.goddess23 / Instagram, lymph.goddess23 / Instagram
My Boyfriend Ended Our Relationship and Gave Me an Invoice for All He ‘Spent on Me’
When Kyra discovers, by accident, that her boyfriend, Henry, has been cheating on her, she goes completely numb. Until he sends her an invoice for everything that he had ever spent on her. Fueled by her anger, Kyra fights back, exposing Henry for who he is and asking for her monetary rewards in return.
We’ve all heard of crazy boyfriend or ex-boyfriend stories—I mean, when I was in college, it was a common sleepover story.
I’ve heard of the boyfriend who wanted to taste everything his girlfriend ate—before she did. And an ex-boyfriend who demanded that his ex-girlfriend help him study for finals because it was her fault that he wasn’t able to concentrate.
But I didn’t expect my relationship to turn into one of those stories.
I had been dating Henry for two years. We had met in college at a party and after a night of drunken conversation over fries, we ended up dating.
Our relationship wasn’t perfect—in fact, over the course of it, we had broken up three times.
“Come on, Kyra,” Henry said. “We either get back together or we break up for good.”
It was the defining moment in our relationship because Henry was the one who wanted to call the shots. He wanted us to stay together, and I wanted us to call it a day.
Over the years, Henry and I had gotten into enough fights, motivating me to turn to therapy to help me cope with the stress of it.
“And yet,” my friend Brent said, “you still remain with him.”
It was just another ordinary Friday evening and Henry had come over to my place. We were going to eat pizza and watch series until we fell asleep.
A few hours into the evening, Henry had fallen asleep on the couch and I casually reached over to grab his phone to check the time.
But I was completely unprepared for everything that followed.
Just as I picked up Henry’s phone, his screen lit up with a text message from another girl.
Hey, babe! See you later or are we meeting tomorrow?
“Hey, who’s this?” I asked, nudging him awake and handing him the phone with a puzzled look.
Henry snatched the phone from my hand in a fury, his face clouding over.
“Kyra, why are you reading my messages?” he snapped, his tone defensive.
“I was just looking for the time,” I stammered. “My phone is on charge in the kitchen. I wasn’t snooping or anything.”
Henry stood up, took a swig of his now room-temperature beer, and paced around my living room.
“This is my private stuff, Kyra,” he accused. “You shouldn’t be looking at all.”
Before I could process what was happening, Henry began putting his shoes on, and then he made a final decision about our relationship.
“I think we’re done here. I can’t trust you anymore!”
And with that, he left my apartment.
Stunned, I watched him leave. We were over in the blink of an eye after two years.
I couldn’t understand if I felt relief or devastation. I would miss Henry, of course, but at the same time—I didn’t think that this was the worst thing.
Henry had been emotionally manipulating me for a long time, but I had felt a familiarity with him. And that had made it easier to stay with him.
It was the comfort of being with a familiar person, despite the heartache that came with them.
I could hear my mother’s words loud in my head.
“Kyra,” she would say, “You’re too smart to be playing a game like this. Let go of the dead weight. Henry has been nothing but dead weight since your first big fight.”
And she would be correct.
I decided to take a shower, I needed to lull my body into a sense of relaxation so that I could just let go and sleep.
And then it truly dawned on me—the reason for the breakup now was because I had caught Henry cheating on me. At first, I was too stunned. I was stunned by the fact that he had walked out on me.
But I finally managed to realize that he had actually been dating another woman. And had no idea how long it had been going on for.
The thought was too much for me to comprehend. I had so many questions running through my mind—how long had Henry been cheating on me? Who was the other person? What would have happened if I hadn’t found out?
The next few days were a complete blur—I felt a sense of relief knowing that I was untied to Henry. But at the same time, I felt hollow and a bit raw.
I found myself crying—not for Henry, but for myself. And through it all, I couldn’t understand why I was so upset.
While making a cup of tea, an email pinged on my laptop, signaling me to my desk.
It was from Henry.
Hoping for an apology, I opened it immediately—only to find a detailed bill listing every single expense that Henry claimed to have incurred on my behalf over the duration of our relationship.
Kyra, please make the payment soon. I need to move on, and you need to make things right with me. I cannot believe I wasted so much time and money on you.
I saw red—a hazy fury took over my sight. My head pounded, and my heart was ready to burst with the flood of feelings that were unleashed by Henry’s email.
“This is insane!” I screamed at the screen.
I shut off my laptop and made myself some soup. Henry and his delusional state of mind could wait. I wasn’t going to pay anything back. I was done with him.
As I cut up some garlic bread, I had an idea.
My friend, Brent, who hated Henry—was a lawyer and he loved a challenge.
“Hey, it’s me,” I said, calling him while I waited for the soup to get ready. “I’ve got a bit of a situation with Henry, and I think I need to hit back with something clever.”
Brent was intrigued. He chuckled and asked me to explain.
“Tell me everything, Kyra,” he said.
The next day, I met Brent at a coffee shop, where we planned on thinking up the next step where I could get back at Henry.
Brent ordered us coffee and pastries, while I pulled up the email from Henry.
As we laid out his claims against my emotional tolls—the late-night anxiety, the therapy costs—he burst out laughing.
“This is actually genius. Let’s draft up a counter-invoice.”
Our response was meticulously calculated, and I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of satisfaction sending it back to him.
This inspired me to start a blog about my journey of recovery and empowerment. To my surprise, the blog resonated with many, and soon, a publisher reached out with an interest in turning my experiences into a book.
On the other hand, Henry’s pursuit for repayment dwindled, especially once he realized the potential public fallout and legal ramifications.
“I cannot believe that you did that, Kyra,” Henry said. “People are messaging me constantly now. Why would you embarrass me like that? Why would you post the invoice I sent you? You owe me!”
I sat in front of the TV and let Henry vent on speaker.
I had absolutely no intention of explaining myself. My blog did expose him—and sure, I did post the invoice. But it was my way of healing through the entire ordeal.
But as always, Henry had to make it about himself. He commented on some of the blog posts, stating that I was yet to pay him for everything.
In reply, other readers let him have it—calling him out on his selfishness.
When Brent came over for dinner, he sat down and chuckled.
“Looks like Henry got the message,” Brent said. “He has dropped all demands. It seems like he just didn’t want to risk any further exposure.”
In the end, not only did I manage to counter his pettiness with strength, but I also carved out a new path for myself.
This wasn’t just about a breakup recovery—it was a rebirth.
What would you have done?
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