When Meagan Barnard entered adolescence, she acquired lymphedema in her left leg. Puberty is difficult enough for both teenage girls and boys, but Meagan’s experience was far worse. She was harassed at school and given horrible nicknames like “Michelin Man,” so she tried all she could to hide her leg.

Then, when Meagan was 24, her left leg grew to more than twice the size of her right one. She hesitated to reveal her leg to her lover, who was unaware that she had lymphedema. Then something occurred. After feeling ill for several years, Meagan decided to “come out” about her lymphedema. She even showed off her leg in a professional photograph.

Lymphedema is swelling that often appears in one of your arms or legs. According to the Mayo Clinic, it is generally caused by removing or damaging lymph nodes.

Meagan Barnard developed lymphedema at the age of fifteen. She felt odd, lonely, and sui.c.idal but refused to discuss it with her friends and family.

Instead, she covered her bloated leg with baggy garments and refused to wear dresses or skirts for nearly a decade. People at her school moc.ked her, even exclaiming, “I didn’t realize the Michelin Man went to school here.”

Meagan felt so horrible that she once penned a suicide letter to her father because she didn’t believe she could take it longer.

Meagan’s left leg can contain up to three liters of excess fluid, and at 24, it swelled to more than double the size of her right leg.

When she became older, she began dating Robert Neidenfeuhr. According to the New Zealand Herald, Meagan kept the lymphedema hidden from her partner for two years before showing it to the public in a picture session.

Robert claims he never saw her swollen leg, even in their most intimate times. 👇🏻.

Mr. Neidenfeuhr remarked, “She was very careful, but I didn’t notice. There were a lot of locked doors and lights turned off—that type of stuff.”

Meagan’s disease causes her leg to have up to three liters of extra fluid, earning her the unflattering moniker “Michelin Man.” For many years, she hid her leg behind a pillow or loose clothing.

Until one day.

Meagan first flashed her legs in a decade a couple of years ago. She disclosed her lymphedema so other young girls wouldn’t have to face it alone.

Meagan Barnard has now shown off her leg in glamor shots, and the results have been so impressive that she has been invited to pose again. By exposing her body, Meagan hopes to encourage females to embrace themselves for who they are.

Please share if you agree that Meagan is an inspirational, powerful, and gorgeous person!