Adam Pearson was diagnosed with neurofibromatosis at age five. Tumors grew on his face, drastically altering his appearance and leading to his classmates treating him like he wasn\u2019t human. His life was destined to be very different from the norm, but Adam resolved to never let those who treated him poorly win.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Today, at age 41, Pearson has become a role model for many, acting in films, appearing on television, and doing his best to erase the stigma of his condition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His story is truly inspiring \u2013 and is worth sharing with all of your friends and family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s easy to complain about small things in our everyday lives. Maybe your morning coffee was a bit cold, the bus was running late, or that television show you watched last night wasn\u2019t as good as you had hoped it would be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Continue reading next page..<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Sure, it\u2019s okay to complain about things \u2013 we all, after all, live different lives. However, it\u2019s essential that, once in a while, we stop to appreciate what we have, even if we\u2019re not living in ideal circumstances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
From now on, whenever I feel like I don\u2019t have the energy to complete a small task \u2013 doing the dishes, for example \u2013 or simply feel like being negative about the little troubles in life, I will always think of the likes of Adam Pearson. The British man was diagnosed with neurofibromatosis when he was five after knocking his head on a windowsill. Unfortunately, that bump never went away \u2013 and the condition caused tumors to grow on his face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The incredible story of Adam Pearson
Pearson has lived an extraordinary life ever since, having to endure despicable treatment from classmates and other members of his community. He was even called \u201cElephant Man\u201d and \u201cScarface.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Despite that, Adam never let that stop him from pursuing his dreams. Today, he\u2019s doing his utmost to raise awareness about his condition \u2013 and has even become a movie star, appearing alongside the likes of Scarlett Johansson.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What he thought would be a life reserved for being an outsider, Pearson transformed into something entirely different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What he does today is nothing short of outstanding, and we\u2019d love for you to share this article and spread his important message.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Adam Pearson\u2019s life began just like any other baby\u2019s. Born on January 6, 1985, in London, his first years in Croydon, South London, were relatively normal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Adam Pearson\u2019s diagnosis \u2013 what is neurofibromatosis?
But when he was five years old, everything changed. Adam knocked his head on a windowsill, but the resulting bump on his face never went away. He was soon diagnosed with neurofibromatosis, a genetic disorder that causes tumors to form on nerve tissue. In Pearson\u2019s case, the tumors, which are non-cancerous, all grew on his face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The same condition also impacted Adam\u2019s twin brother, Neil, though his symptoms aren\u2019t nearly so visible as Adam\u2019s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHe looks normal,\u201d Pearson told The Guardian in 2014. \u201cBut he\u2019s got terrible short-term memory.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As one can imagine, growing up with tumors all over his face wasn\u2019t an easy thing for young Adam. Because of his diagnosis, he had to learn the oft-cruel ways of the world fast, but things took a whole new turn for the worse when he started school<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The treatment from his classmates was horrendous: they called him all sorts of names, degrading him to the point where he thought of himself as an outsider. Sadly, no one knew what to do about it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Speaking with The Guardian, Pearson recalled one particular incident when one of his so-called friends told him that a teacher wanted to see him in a classroom. When he arrived, however, there was no teacher waiting for him but a group of other children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI went home with spit all over my blazer,\u201d he explained. \u201cThat was horrific.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In an interview with The Mirror, Pearson recalled his school days further.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI used to stand outside the school gates in the morning, take a massive deep breath and let it happen. I knew what I was in for. It was continuous name-calling \u2013 the classic Elephant Man, freak.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s about the life you have, not the one you don\u2019t\u201d
Many children would probably have given up at that point, giving in to the bullies and letting them win. But Adam Pearson was not a normal child. Though he knew his life would be difficult, he was determined to make it through. Nothing could stop him \u2013 and he would never let bullies have the final say.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOnce I started thinking like them, the bullies had won. It\u2019s about the life you have, not the one you don\u2019t. It wasn\u2019t an emotionally productive thing to do,\u201d Pearson explained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFor me, it\u2019s all I\u2019ve ever known. It\u2019s very much a part of me. It would have been like asking: \u2018Why am I this tall?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Adam underwent regular treatment in the hospital throughout his life; he has undergone around 30 medical procedures to \u201cdebunk\u201d some of the tumors. But while he\u2019s no stranger to the surgeon\u2019s knife, he\u2019s also very skeptical about the trend regarding cosmetic surgery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to Pearson, those sorts of procedures make their \u201cprofits from people\u2019s insecurities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s always used very lazily,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIn an ideal world, actors with conditions would play the characters with these same conditions, but that\u2019s a way off. Instead, film-makers tend to get a generic, \u2018normal\u2019 actor and use prosthetics. If they\u2019d got Adam Sandler and blacked him up to play Nelson Mandela, there would have been an uproar \u2026 but with scars and stuff, it seems like people are cool with that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI read somewhere nine out of 10 women don\u2019t like how they look and I think that\u2019s because they\u2019re comparing themselves to the airbrushed images they see in Vogue or FHM. People lack a real literacy in the media. They don\u2019t know what goes into producing these images. Media literacy should be part of education. I think we\u2019ve done beauty a great disservice by quantifying it,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Adam Pearson \u2013 acting career
During one of his regular visits to Great Ormond Street Hospital, a children\u2019s hospital in London, Adam saw a poster about the organization Changing Faces. According to their website, they are \u201cUK\u2019s leading charity for everyone with a scar, mark or condition on their face or body.\u201d Pearson instantly knew he wanted to get involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Without telling his parents, Adam contacted the organization and got help with how to stay positive. One thing they taught him was to remember that the ones treating him poorly \u201care the ones with the problem, not you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He studied business management at Brighton University and, upon graduating, landed roles in several television productions for Channel 4 and the BBC. Among these were appearances on The Undateables and Beauty and the Beast, both of which explore how society views disabilities in all forms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In 2011, Adam Pearson\u2019s life would take another drastic turn.Changing Faces contacted him, saying producers were seeking a male character for the film Under the Skin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Under the Skin, a science fiction film directed by Jonathan Glazer, became a huge success. Pearson starred alongside Scarlett Johansson, and for him, it was a way to show the world that anyone can achieve their dreams, no matter their appearance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOne of the main reasons for taking the role was because it was so moving and honest,\u201d Adam said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFor me, the film is about what the world looks like without knowledge and without prejudice. It\u2019s about seeing the world through alien eyes, I guess.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Adam Pearson wants to break the stigma
He turned out to be a natural in front of the screen. According to Pearson, plenty of the dialogue was improvised, and working with Johansson was something exceptional. He received her private email address in the end, and in the film, they even had to film a nude scene together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThey just said \u2018action\u2019 and you do it,\u201d he said. \u201cI didn\u2019t really think about it, I didn\u2019t broadcast the information [that he was in the film] until quite near the release. I didn\u2019t tell some people at all and just took them to see the film, I mean, my friend Heidi hasn\u2019t made eye contact with me for a week.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c[Scarlett Johansson was] brilliant. She\u2019s really nice, charming, funny and intelligent once you get over the feeling of \u2018Oh my God, this is Scarlett Johansson!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For Adam, becoming an actor wasn\u2019t just about inspiring others to chase their dreams and not let anything get in their way. More importantly, it allowed him to challenge the stigma regarding showing disabilities on-screen on a global stage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He explained: \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of fear around the unknown. If I can try to be as normal as possible and show there\u2019s nothing to fear \u2013 either on film or day to day, going round the corner to go shopping for milk \u2013 then the more people see it in wider society, the less stigma there is. If I just sit at home and mope, hugging the dog and crying, nothing\u2019s going to change.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One of the UK\u2019s most influential disabled people
Since the success of Under the Skin in 2013, Adam has continued to work as an actor and disability rights activist. In 2017, he starred as himself in the feature film DRIB, and in 2019, he appeared in Chained for Life. Adam also featured in the movie A Different Man, starring Sebastian Stan, and has been described as \u201can actor of great charm\u201d by The New York Times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As mentioned, Adam is keen on breaking down the stigma surrounding his disability. He has spoken at many events, including the World Health Innovation Summit, and has given multiple TED talks. Moreover, he is an ambassador for The Prince\u2019s Trust, Changing Faces, and Us In A Bus, and has won both a RADAR Award and a Diana Award for his work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In 2022, he was included on the UK\u2019s top 100 list of most influential disabled people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pearson was also a contestant on Celebrity Masterchef. Unfortunately, he was the first to be eliminated from the cooking show, but that didn\u2019t really matter in the long run.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The fact that he was on Celebrity Masterchef proves something unquestionably more important: nothing can stop you from doing what you love, no matter how you look or what disabilities you may have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOften with minority talent, and particularly disabled talent, they get pigeonholed into only doing massive air quotes here, disability thing,\u201d Pearson told Metro.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019ve got no idea what disability things are, so if someone could let me know and I could start doing them, that would be great! But no, it was something that existed outside of that realm, and it seemed like a real opportunity to sort of step out of that bubble.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the time of writing, Adam does not have a girlfriend. If he were to have children, there\u2019s a 50% chance he will pass on his condition, but \u2013 if it wasn\u2019t abundantly obvious by now \u2013 he\u2019s an extremely positive soul.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He continues to do his best to make the world a better place. No matter what happens, he knows that any future children will have amazing lives, even if they do suffer from the same genetic disorder as he.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMy kids will be genetically awesome anyway,\u201d Pearson proclaimed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Adam Pearson is a true inspiration. Please share this article to spread his story \u2013 let\u2019s help him break the stigma!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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