Susanne Veder Berger hid her face for more than 50 years — now, an
amazing surgical procedure has allowed this courageous New Yorker to show
her “true face.”Susanne calls it “Getting Naked.”
She’s an inspiring role model for those with disfiguring birthmarks and
for those who simply long to be accepted and fit in.
Since birth, Susanne Veder Berger was taught to hide herself, to cover the
conspicuous and disfiguring port-wine stain that dominated nearly the
entire left side of her face.(Doctors of old referred to the stain as
naevus flammeus, a vascular birthmark resulting from deep dilated
capillaries below the surface of the skin.)Today, they are simply known
as a port wine stain due to the red, wine colored stain.
When Susanne was only four years old, she was taught how to hide her face
each day in an effort to avoid teasing and humiliation. Susanne did this
every day of her life for more than 50 years as she attended Seneca
College in Toronto, got married, moved to the New York City suburbs and
raised two children.Conditioned to believe that if the mask ever slipped
— from careless application of her makeup or perhaps by shedding a tear
— the world would see what she really looked likeThe result would be
too painful for Susanne to even imagine.
At the age of 30, Susanne met a remarkable dermatologist by the name of
Dr. Roy Geronemus, a pioneer in the use of the pulse dye laser for the
treatment of conditions of this kind.Under the care of Dr. Geronemus,
Director of the Laser & Skin Surgery Center of New York, Susanne began a
series of dozens of pulsed dye laser treatment sessions that would
change her life.
Susanne says that this procedure was literally a godsend, and now
after more than 50 surgical procedures, starting in 1987 she now feels
as if she has been born again.Susanne is in a unique position to tell
others about the amazing benefits of laser surgery for correction of this
skin condition because she has personally experienced the benefits and
limitations of this treatment procedure as it has evolved over the past 25
years.
With the remarkable success of these laser treatments, Susanne is now
embracing what she calls getting naked for all the world to see! In
fact, thats the title of her memoir, an epic story spanning two
continents and some of the most challenging chapters of recent history.
In Getting Naked, Susanne shares stories of her childhood, growing up in
Holland and Canada.Family members who are featured in the book include
some of the most influential members of society in Holland, including
Susannes great-grandfather, Abraham S. Veder, President of the oldest
Ashkenazi Synagogue in Amsterdam with a congregation of 60,000 followers.
Susannes life was also touched in a powerful way by the Holocaust.Her
great-grandfather was captured by German soldiers in 1943, and many other
members of her family perished in this great tragedy. (Miraculously, at
the time of this great conflict, Susannes fathers family was able to successfully escape.)
Susanne herself has also faced a number of challenges in her adult years,
in addition to the need to hide herself from others because of her port
wine birthmark.These challenges include the shock of being abandoned by
her first husband, leaving her a single mother with two children, her
efforts to build a career in New York, and her love affair and the
untimely passing of her third husband, Dr. Sidney R. Berger , the only man
who truly accepted her as she really was.
Freedom and Honesty Through a Remarkable Surgical Procedure
Laser treatment of the kind performed by Dr. Roy Geronemous and his
colleague Dr. Leonard Bernstein is the most advanced procedure available
for destroying the capillaries below the surface of the skin.When you
see a visible port wine stain, you are seeing enlarged capillaries.
Therefore, the thermal effects of the laser will boil and dry up the
excess blood in the capillaries thereby returning them to their normal
state. After a period of weeks, the stain will begin to lighten as these
vessels return to their normal condition.
When Susanne began treatment with Dr. Geronemous in 1987, she discovered
that patients came from around the world to see this pioneer in the field.
She has watched Dr. Geronemouss practice grow over the years as he
moved from NYUs medical staff to establish his own treatment center, one
of the most respected in this field.Susanne is extremely grateful to
this medical genius, not only for his mastery of the latest techniques in
the field of laser surgery, but because she found the deepest level of
trust with this doctor an essential ingredient when it comes to
treatment of this kind. Although Susanne still requires a number of
additional sessions for the phase of treatment that she began in 2008, she
has now reached the remarkable milestone where, for the first time in her
life, she no longer feels it necessary to mask her face.I still have
trouble recognizing that beautiful woman I see in the mirror these days,
she says.
A Metaphor for All of Us
Its not uncommon for many individuals to feel they might lose the love of
their family and the support of their friends, if the world somehow
learned what they were really like.For Susanne, this feeling dominated
her life, until very recently when breakthroughs in laser surgery finally
allowed her to lift her mask.This literal transformation offers us
insight into the transformation that is possible for all of us, and the
feeling of freedom we all have the opportunity to enjoy if we can find the
courage to show the world who we really are.
About Susanne Veder Berger
Susanne Veder Berger was born in Kitchener Ontario Canada and lived in
both Holland and Canada After attending Seneca College in Toronto, Susanne
married and became the mother of two wonderful children Marshall and
Robin.Raising her family in Westchester County, New York, Susanne became
active in a number of school organizations and following an abrupt
divorce became a marital support counselor.Since the early 1990s,
Susanne has held a variety of executive positions in the field of
marketing for CitiGroup, the U.S. Tennis Association and a number of other
companies and organizations.In 1998, Susanne married the prominent New
York dentist Dr. Sidney R, Berger and enjoyed twelve blissful years prior
to his passing in April 2010.Susanne is currently writing her memoir,
Getting Naked. www.birthmark.org
