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Private Notes
Katie meets two young women who have experienced very different forms of disfigurement. Ballet student Adele suffered an epileptic fit in the shower, knocking the tap as she fell, and was left with horrific burns covering half her upper body. Now she's trying to rebuild her confidence to perform again. Twenty-three-year-old Chantelle was born with a rare condition called arteriovenous malformation (AVM), which means that a group of blood vessels are growing out of control deep in her nose, leaving her disfigured and threatening her life. Now treatment could save her life and her face, but the situation is putting a strain on her marriage. Meanwhile, Katie continues her gruelling treatment and, despite setbacks, puts together the building blocks of her new life.
Katie's charity is about to launch and Simon Cowell has agreed to be the patron. The pressure is on Katie to get the launch right. In Bristol, Katie meets 16-year-old Will, who's struggling to come to terms with the 40% burns he received after a barbecue got out of control. He was on the critical list for two weeks, has already had four skin grafts and is facing months of intensive physiotherapy to regain full use of his arm. But he's finding it hard to cope with the way he looks and the restrictions his injuries place upon him. And he's refusing to wear the pressure suit that will help to reduce his scarring. Will's mum hopes that Katie will be able to inspire him to persevere. And Katie also meets 24-year-old Emily who suffered 70% burns in a house fire when she was just seven and warns Katie that life with scars is not as easy as she may think. Since graduating with a law degree, Emily has been unable to get a job, despite hundreds of applications, and believes that people's inability to get past her disfigurement is a major issue. And can Katie overcome her fears to take centre stage launching her charity?
Katie seeks out people who, unlike her, were born with their disfigurements. Twenty-one-year-old Amit has Neurofibromatosis, which has disfigured one side of his face and given him curvature of the spine. At home with his family, Amit's disfigurement isn't an issue, but in the outside world he chooses to try and blend into the background. But he's off to university and worries whether other students will accept how he looks. Katie offers him encouragement and the pair strike up a great friendship. In the middle of this, Katie is facing more surgery. Ever since the acid attack burned off her eyelids, Katie's been unable to shut her eyes properly. She has surgery to improve her eye function, which leaves her temporarily blind and vulnerable, struggling to deal with this painful reminder of her time in intensive care. Katie also meets Andrew, who has Treacher Collins syndrome, which leads to malformation of the facial bones. Andrew was bullied at school and it has knocked his self-belief. Andrew has always dreamt of becoming an animator, but lacked the confidence to pursue a college course. Encouraged by Katie, he shows his drawings to professionals for their feedback. Katie introduces Amit to a charity that help acid attack victims and he anxiously agrees to emerge from the shadows and lead a team to raise funds for vital equipment. But he'll have to conquer his fears about taking centre stage. And Katie prepares to make another huge leap: moving out of her parents' house into her own flat.
Katie has gained the confidence to move out of her parents' home and into her own place. It's a huge step forward: after her attack, it took Katie a year to even venture out to the corner shop. The fear of negative reactions to her disfigurement is an experience that 22-year-old Kayleigh knows only too well. She was born with Pfeiffer's syndrome, and her bones fused as they grew. Despite surgery, the condition has affected the shape of her head and face. Throughout her childhood Kayleigh suffered taunts, becoming a virtual prisoner in her flat. But now she wants life to be different, and has enlisted Katie's support. George is a father of two facing a terrible dilemma: surgery that could save his life will leave him further disfigured. Having seen his own father's face ravaged by a shared hereditary disease, he wants to avoid the same fate and the trauma for his kids. Katie also revisits Chantelle to find out if the operation to remove a life-threatening cluster of blood vessels in her nose has been successful, and whether she's managed to save her marriage and transform her life. And finally, one year after she had the idea to try and build a support network for those living with disfigurement, Katie is throwing a party to thank all the people who've agreed to be ambassadors for her foundation.
