SUMMERVILLE, South Carolina — A South Carolina toddler has been fighting for her life since birth, and now she and her family are fighting to fend off Internet bullies.
WCBD reports Mariah Anderson, 2, was born with Chromosome Two Duplication Syndrome, which is a rare disorder that impairs her learning and motor skills. Mariah’s life expectancy is grim, but she is a bright spot for her entire family.
So her mother, Kyra Pringle, was recently horrified when she learned Mariah’s birthday photo was being shared online by thousands. Some Photoshopped crude captions and others wrote rude comments about the way she looks.
“The smile that you guys think is funny or the smile that you guys are comparing to a leprechaun, the smile that you guys are comparing to all these disgusting like…the things you are saying about my child — she’s not a monster, she’s not fake, she’s real, ” said Kyra. “She is here.”
“If you’re out there, and you’re doing these things, and you think that it’s funny — it’s not funny,” said Mariah’s grandmother, Linda Pringle. “This is a human being.”
The family knows the “joke” will fade away and say their time with Mariah is all that matters.
“She’s just a joy,” Kyra told WCBD. “It’s a joy to have her just right now. It’s just to the point where we’re just enjoying her.”
