A girl suffering from a serious illness has become an Internet sensation

A Facebook photo of 23-year-old Bethany Townsend from Worcester posing in a bikini has been viewed by more than nine million people, with over 200,000 likes and 10,000 comments. The reason why an ordinary girl suddenly became an Internet star lies in her serious illness.

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1. The fact is that the girl suffers from Crohn's disease, a chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract, which affects the ability to digest and assimilate food, as well as the elimination of biological waste.

2. Bethany has been suffering from this condition since the age of three, and in 2010 she had a colostomy due to a bowel obstruction. In that year, the girl almost died due to a rupture of the intestine and since then she has been forced to constantly wear a colostomy bag.

3. The girl, who was engaged in the modeling business before the operation, for a long time had complexes about the bags that were attached to her stomach. But Bethany's husband, 33-year-old Jan, always supports his wife, and during a vacation in Mexico, he persuaded her to put on a bikini and take pictures in it.

4. At first, according to the girl, she was embarrassed, but then she relaxed and the rest went well. Six months after the trip, Bethany decided to share her vacation snaps to raise awareness about Crohn's disease.

5. What was the surprise of the girl when her photo in a bathing suit caused such a surge of positive emotions among Facebook users that it prompted her to think about returning to her modeling career.

6. Bethany hopes her image can help people with Crohn's feel more comfortable and generally raise awareness of the condition.

7. Unfortunately, the colostomy did not cure Crohn's disease and she returned four weeks later. Most likely, the girl will undergo an operation to transplant the intestines.

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