A youngster whose face was ripped out by a tiger when she was a child has opened up in regards to the brutal bullying she suffered as a result.
Megan Krüger was just 18 months old when her parents, 42-yr-old Dot and 46-yr-old Casper, took her to a nature reserve in South Africa’s Free State province in June 2007.
The joyful family watched the large cats within the fenced-in area, and Casper was excited to point out his daughter the wild cats — although Dot recalls feeling “uneasy” about their size and closeness.
The disaster got here as father and daughter crouched near the fence to get a higher view of the tigers – and the lightning attack left Megan, now 16, permanently disfigured.
“It happened so fast. I don’t think we even realized what was happening until the tiger got her,” recalls Casper in Media Drum.
The distraught dad said the tiger stuck to his baby with its huge claws, dragging him over the wire fence and crippling his head and face.
Desperate to avoid wasting his daughter, Casper sprang into motion, but in keeping with Media Drum, he lost two of his own fingers in the method.
“I put my left hand within the animal’s mouth to avoid wasting my little girl and managed to free her from the mouth,” he explained. “I wrestled the tiger with my bare hands for several minutes before the animal let go.”
The daddy and daughter were transported to the closest hospital, where they got emergency care and stabilized.
Nonetheless, little Megan was transferred to a different hospital higher equipped to treat her extensive injuries and spent two months there within the ICU.
“We were hardly home the entire time,” Dot said, and Casper admitted that the attack still haunts him.
“In spite of everything, it is your child you are liable for,” said the guilt-ridden father. “It is best to protect her, but an accident like this may occur so incredibly quickly.”
Nonetheless, Megan’s injuries proceed to tragically affect her each day life, and her parents “lose track of what number of surgeries she has needed to reconstruct her jaw.”
“The bone in her lower jaw remains to be quite fragile and desires to be rebuilt,” her mother explained. “She has no lower teeth since the bone could be very fragile.”
Dot and Casper raised their daughter the “normal” way – as did their younger daughter Kaylin – although school was a struggle for Megan because of cruel taunts about her injuries.
“I was bullied at college due to how I look,” she admitted, adding that seventh grade was particularly difficult because she was often teased.
Nonetheless, her situation improved.
“But I’m really joyful in my highschool and everybody accepts me for who I am,” she said. “I am a member of the debating team and take part in the Hammer Throwing Free State Athletics Championships at my school every yr.”
Megan said she has come a great distance since middle school and feels rather more confident about her appearance.
The brave teenager even dared to turn into an actress – she even appeared in a short film broadcast on a local TV station.
“I had never thought of acting before, but when I was asked to audition, I decided to take a likelihood,” she said.
She admitted that on the primary day she cried and didn’t need to participate, but the actor she worked with encouraged her to proceed.
“After that first day, I enjoyed every minute. It was a improbable experience, she raved. “Being within the movie was really cool. I think at some point I’d wish to star in a feature film.”
Megan said she doesn’t mind people asking what happened to her face – and she or he’d relatively people ask.
“The best way I look doesn’t hassle me in any respect,” she said. “I’ve looked like this all my life. I accepted it a very long time ago and I love myself.”
Megan urged everyone to love themselves – regardless of what they looked like.
“Don’t have a look at the negatives,” she said simply. “See the positives and you may win.”