44 years ago, in Australia, a mother gave birth to her fifth child.

But what should be a moment filled with elation and joy quickly turned into despair — as soon as the mother saw her newborn boy, she told the hospital staff that she didn’t want him.

 

After Robert’s birth, his mother was shocked by his appearance. For a whole week, she refused to see him or take him home. After an intense family meeting, it was agreed that Robert would be brought home. All four of his siblings wanted Robert to be a part of the family.

 

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Robert Hoge was perfectly healthy when he was born. But he was born with a tennis-sized tumor between his eyes and deformed legs. Surgeons had to remove his tumor and amputate his legs.

His mother struggled greatly with his deformities and did not hide her emotions toward it. She told her sister that

 

He was “so ugly” and wished he would die.

 

Ultimately, Robert’s mother grew to accept her son’s appearance. But don’t be so quick to judge Robert’s mother. Although it is easy to villainize her in Robert’s life, Robert states otherwise.

He claims that she has impacted his life in unexpected ways and learned to understand her feelings and concerns. And in the end, that’s all that really matters!

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According to Robert, his mother was concerned about raising a child with deformities and terrified of the thought of Robert and her family being mocked because of his differences.

He stated that he was always aware of his mother’s feelings because she kept a diary and never hid it from him. She was always opened about her emotions.

 

While he was growing up, he would ask his mother to read bits of what she had written in her diary about him. Robert said,

 

“I think I had a few times where I was a bit concerned and a bit worried and couldn’t quite understand, but I think then it just clicked one day that it was like a movie that has some sad parts in the middle but has a happy ending. I was finding all of that out after knowing that my parents had decided to bring me home.”

 

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Robert states that he only has positive and warm feelings towards his family. His family is “loving and caring.” Just Amazing. When Robert became a husband and a father in his 30s, his mother helped him greatly in becoming a devoted and caring father.

Robert is now a successful motivational speaker and author. His writings contain humor and honesty and speaks out to many others who are struggling to accept themselves for who they are. In 2013, he published his memoir entitled Ugly.

Watch this video to learn more about Robert and his life!

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