'Mum asked to swap plane seats for heartbreaking reason – I shouldn't have left home'

A man has been left devastated after a mum asked he move seats on a planebecause 'his face was making her child cry'. The 24-year-old shared his heart-wrenching story on Reddit, revealing he had an aggressive form of cancer which led to him undergoing an orbital exenteration, resulting in a "pool-ball sized" hole where his right eye once was.

Choosing not to conceal the gap with a patch or prosthetic while he adjusts to "missing part of his upper face", the man recounted how he always selects a window seat and settled into one on this particular flight.

He wrote: "In this flightI picked a window seat like I always and settle in, and not long after a woman boards with her husband and her son who's around 4/5 years old.

"Her husband has a seat in the row behind me and she and her son have the middle and aisle seats in my row.

"The moment her son saw me, he visibly recoils. I'm quite used to occasional glances and stares, and it doesn't bother me, but whenever I notice children looking scared of me, that always kind of hurts. I know kids don't have filters, I understand, but I was expecting his mother to just tell him to knock it off or something."

However, instead of soothing her son and addressing the situation, the mother asked the man to swap seats so her son wouldn't have to see him during the flight.

She said to him: "Can you switch seats with my husband? My son's not exactly the most comfortable sitting next to you, I apologise. He's kind of scared here so it would really help us out."

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The man recounted: "I told her that no, I wouldn't change seats because I wanted my window seat to which she asked me a few more times before giving up and saying something along the lines of 'Seriously? He's only a child, I just thought you might a little more sensitive'."

This encounter was a severe hit on his confidence as he expressed: "I am sensitive, I've been sensitive about my face since the day I got surgery, I've avoided photos, mirrors, and public settings all too often.

"But apparently I'm not sensitive enough for choosing my own comfort over a random child's."

He also shared the emotional impact, admitting: "To be honest, for a while after that I had to hold in tears because my disfigurement embarrasses me, and often times I'm so embarrassed I don't go out much, and this reminded me exactly why."

Reflecting on the ordeal, he revealed the hurt it caused him by stating: "I understand a child is a child and people will stare, but I just hate how she treated me as if I was doing something wrong by just existing."

A compassionate comment from one user read: "Young man, I'm a 64-year-old grandmother, and I want you to listen to me. Put down anything you have in your hands and feel the hug I am sending you. Relax into it."

The supportive message continued: "I understand your feelings. You've had a major surgery at such a young age. You're fighting cancer! You deserve all the love and grace and empathy that exists in the world."

Concluding with hopeful words, they added: "I hope you have a full recovery. I am sure you will go on to live a life of wonder and excitement and friendship and love.

"There are awful people in this world. Sometimes, we have to share space with them. When people say something awful to me, I say some variation of this phrase: Does that make you feel better about yourself?"

Another user chimed in: "Firstly I am so sorry about your cancer and I sincerely hope they got it all and you kick cancers a**.

"Secondly they had no right to ask that of you, that was a teaching moment for her and the child and should have had nothing to do with you at all.

"I wish you a speedy recovery both physically and mentally and I hope you find the love for yourself that you once that because you are perfect and loved no matter what you look like."