Trolls

I knew having a blog meant that whatever pictures I posted could be seen by everyone and anyone.  I knew, in the back of my mind, that someone could even take my pictures and use them as their own, or take them and use them in a degrading, hurtful, hateful, ignorant way.  But I guess I never really thought anyone would be reading my blog, except those who know and love me and my family.

I was wrong.

Almost every day I check my blog and I check to see the "traffic" that is going to the blog.  Twice I have seen a "red flag", an out of place website.

cartoonmeme.com

A place where people can go and make a cartoon meme of themselves or use one of the memes that this website has made.  It is obvious that a lot of these photos have been stolen.  There is one in particular that is very disturbing.  A school photo of a young man that has been turned into about six memes, all degrading.

The person running this website has visited my blog, twice! I have looked on their website and haven't seen any pictures of Stella on there.  Perhaps no pictures of her were worthy of degradation.

But now I am on HIGH ALERT.

As much as I want to share our family's journey with others who are curious or who face a similar situation, I do not want Stella's face to be taken and degraded.

Belittled for looking "different", for having an extra chromosome.

I contacted a fellow blogger to get her advice. She gave me some good tips.  I will use these tips and hopefully that will help to protect my pictures.

It makes my heart hurt and my blood boil all at once knowing that there are these "trolls" out there.  Looking for someone to make fun of, to make themselves feel better about whatever is missing in their own lives.

No one deserves to be treated with such ignorance, hate and degradation.

All life is precious.  All life is worthy.

I will continue to show whoever reads my blog that our life ROCKS and that Stella is perfection just as she is.