When Meagan Barnard reached adolescence, she developed lymphedema in her left leg.For both males and girls in their teens, puberty is challenging enough, but Meagan’s experience was far more challenging.She was ridiculed at school and given terrible nicknames like “Michelin Man,” so she tried everything she could to hide her leg.At the age of 24, Meagan’s left leg had grown to more than twice the size of her right leg.She wouldn’t even expose her leg to her partner because he didn’t know she had lymphedema.Then something happened.After experiencing symptoms for years, Meagan decided to “come out” about her lymphedema.Even at a professional photo shoot, she flashed her leg.
Lymphedema is a type of swelling that often affects one arm or leg. The removal or damage to the lymph nodes is usually the reason, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Meagan Barnard was 15 years old when she got lymphedema. She wouldn’t talk to her friends or family about her weird, lonely, and suicidal feelings.
She stayed away from dresses and skirts for nearly a decade, instead covering her swollen leg with loose garments. In an attempt to ridicule her, someone at her school even said, “I didn’t know that the Michelin Man went to school here.”
On one occasion, Meagan wrote a suicide note to her father because she felt so awful and didn’t think she could handle it any longer.
At the age of 24, Meagan’s left leg swelled up to more than double the size of her right leg, and it can hold up to three liters of additional fluid.
As she grew older, she started dating a man named Robert Neidenfeuhr. According to the NZ Herald, Meagan managed to hide her lymphoedema from her fiancé for two years before making it public during a photo shoot.
Robert says he never noticed her swollen leg, even during their most intimate moments.
Mr. Neidenfeuhr clarified, “She was extremely careful, but I really didn’t notice.” Many of the lights were off, many of the doors were closed, etc.
The illness has caused Meagan to have up to three liters of excess fluid in her calf, earning her the upsetting moniker “Michelin Man.” For many years, she used a pillow or loose garments to hide her leg.
Until one day…
A few years ago, Meagan showed off her legs for the first time in a decade. She decided to come out about her lymphedema in the hopes that young girls who suffer from it won’t have to deal with it in silence.
Since showing off her leg in glossy photos, Meagan Barnard has been asked to model more, and the results are stunning. Meagan wants to inspire girls to value their uniqueness by showing off her physique.
Please share if you also think Meagan is a strong, attractive, and amazing individual!
