Father of young boy who cried over 'ugly' surgery scars launches viral online campaign to help prove his scars are beautiful

Mark Gentle enlisted the help of thousands from across the world to show seven-year-old Carter his scars make him look like a superhero

Seven-year-old Carter 'cried for 45 minutes' after his bandages were taken off

The father of a seven-year-old boy who has undergone five open-heart surgeries has launched an online campaign to demonstrate to his son that his scars are not “ugly”.

Adults and children from across the world have been sharing stories and pictures of their own scars after Mark Gentle appealed for help in convincing his son that surgery scars are beautiful.

Mr Gentle posted a picture of his son Carter on Facebook on 11 April, where he explained that the boy had become upset by his appearance after taking off his bandages from an operation.

“He cried for 45 minutes when he saw his scars. He said that he's afraid people will think he is ugly,” he wrote. “This was hard to hear as a parent. We told him that his scars are beautiful and make him look like a superhero."

He asked: "How many likes can Carter get for his bravery?”

The picture has already amassed over one million ‘likes’ and was shared more than 90,000 times. Many adults also shared their own stories of how they were left with their own scars.

#CHDAWARENESS We were a little apprehensive to post this but I feel it's important. Carter took his bandages off this...

Posted by Mark Gentle on Saturday, 11 April 2015

One woman posted a picture of herself with a prosthetic leg and wrote: "I also have a couple of massive scars on my left leg from my two amputations [and] I have several on my neck from having to get blood transfusions through massive IVs.

"Every scar has a story, as do yours. Yours and mine both mean we are fighters.”

Some parents shared pictures of their children proudly displaying scars from open heart surgery. Mr Carter said he was “overwhelmed to the point of tears” by the response.

“I posted this pic simply thinking it would be a good exercise for Carter and boost his confidence and this happened," he said. "I cannot thank you all enough for sharing and getting this thing out there.

“I sincerely apologise to anyone who may have left a comment that I couldn't respond back to but I've had 50,000 comments and 3,000 private messages. I assure you, every comment is read and very much appreciated.”