An inspirational youngster who was born with a rare defect has taken to her laptop to help others with the same condition.

Blogger Bethan Harvey, 19, of Juniper Close, Witham, is a budding photographer who loves shopping like any other girl her age.

But Bethan has been in and out of Great Ormond Street Hospital all her life after being born with hemifacial microsomia, meaning the right side of her face was undeveloped.

Bethan, who went to Rickstones School, was also born with microtia, meaning ‘small ear’, which left her with a small piece of skin in place of her right ear and unable to hear at all on that side.

Over the last eight years, she has had a new ear constructed from her rib cartilege, an injection of fat cells into her right cheek to make it symmetrical and a bone-anchored hearing aid to allow her to hear fully for the first time.

Bethan started her blog in 2011 to raise awareness for microtia, which affects one in 4,000 newborns, and as a coping mechanism through hard times at school.

“I'm glad that I've now been able to put the past behind me and move on from it.

“It was difficult getting over the bullying.

“I regularly got told my parents should be ashamed and embarrassed to have a child like me.

“It did make me feel like they were right and I should give up and end it all, however thankfully I didn't.”

Bethan is a passionate writer, blogging about her treatment and how the condition changes affects her life on a daily basis.

She said: “I grew up feeling like I was alone, until I came across a support group on Facebook called Microtia Mingle UK.

”I felt that there wasn’t enough awareness out there for my conditions and needed to do something to change that.

“My aim is to help make the unknown journey for those with the same conditions that little bit easier.”

In March, Bethan received her hearing device and has been hearing fully since then.

She said: “I’m glad I didn't find out about this surgery until later.

"Now I don’t care what people think of me having it on the side of my head like I would have when I was at school.

“This has been completely life changing for me.”

To read about Bethan’s journey, visit goshgurl95.wordpress.com

For the full story, see this week's Witham Times.