And Mary Ann Bevan was indeed once beautiful, happy, and always hopeful for the best. But fate would treat her with extreme cruelty. And in a short time, illness would turn the comely woman into a real monster. Yet at heart, despite her changed appearance, Mary would remain the same kind and loving mother, ready to make any sacrifice for her children.
She married and had children
Mary Ann Webster was born in 1874 in one of the poorest districts of London. She grew up in a large family that could barely cope with its problems. And Mary, like many of her friends, had to learn hard labor early. She took a job as a nurse at the nearest hospital to help her parents in some way. Unfortunately, Mary would carry this burden for quite a long time.
Personal happiness would smile on the attractive young woman when she had already turned 29. Her meeting with the florist-decorator Thomas Bevan would prove fateful for Mary. The young people would take a liking to each other, and what at first was a light romance would grow into a serious relationship. In 1903 Mary married Bevan and took his surname. Married life worked out well: Thomas adored his wife and was always by her side. She would bear her beloved man four children, who would become Mrs. Bevan's main concern.
The first symptoms
The first alarming sign would come when Mary began to suffer constant headaches. The migraines simply drained her strength, but the woman didn't show even a hint that she was suffering. And she tried to lose herself in everyday affairs. But soon Mary felt a terrible aching in her body that just wouldn't go away. And to her horror she discovered how quickly her appearance was changing.
An unknown illness was mercilessly erasing the features of her comely face. A heavy chin, enlarged ears and nose instantly disfigured Mary. To this ugliness were added broad shoulders and enlarged hands and feet. And soon not even the slightest trace of her former feminine beauty remained. As if by the will of an evil sorceress, Mary turned into a frightening creature, more closely resembling a large, big, and very unattractive man in a skirt.
Even in her dreams Mary Bevan could not have imagined such a hideous transformation. She held on as long as her loving and caring husband was by her side. But with Thomas's unexpected death, she was overcome by utter despair. She had to get the children on their feet, secure their future: and what could an ugly woman, suffering from a baffling ailment, do?! Only later would doctors give Mary Bevan a grim diagnosis – acromegaly. This disease is caused by a disorder of the endocrine system associated with the excessive secretion of growth hormone.
The whole world turned away
For Mary, life would turn into a veritable hell. She would be dismissed from the hospital without even being given a reason. The woman scrambled in search of work to feed her children. But Mary's appearance, apparently, frightened everyone: no one even wanted to talk to her. To this were added other misfortunes. Street urchins gave Mary no peace, and alongside the adults they hurled cruel jokes at the poor woman. Alas, people are sometimes inclined to mock human shortcomings, not understanding that they are displaying spiritual obtuseness.
Fate would eventually tire of keeping Mary in the role of a stepchild doomed to gather sorrows and griefs by the handful. One day Mrs. Bevan learned that a contest for the ugliest woman was being held in London. And secretly hoping for luck, she would take part in it. Mary would win this competition and at the same time receive a substantial cash prize. It must be said that many British journalists, hungry for sensation, savored Mary's victory in all its detail. Thanks to such publicity, she would soon become a celebrity. But such fame did not trouble Mary in the slightest: now she could stop worrying about her children's future. The decent fees from stage performances allowed her to open a bank account.
She became famous
Across the ocean, Mary Bevan's persona would draw the interest of Sam Gumpertz – the owner of a famous amusement park in America. His freak show with bearded women, Siamese twins, and giants enjoyed wild success. He would invite Mary Bevan to his circus. And she would leave London forever: together with her children she would move to the USA. It's worth noting that in the improvised theater of freaks, however strange it may sound, Mary became a kind of star. And every one of her performances filled the halls to capacity.
Mary Bevan would die at the age of 59, although the doctors, because of her terrible illness, had predicted a far earlier death for her. Contrary to the forecasts, Mary, thanks to her strong character and her selfless, sacrificial love for her children, performed an ordinary miracle.
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