From Metro:
Man with ‘man boobs’ posts brave video (and the internet loves him)
Sometimes, just sometimes, the internet is a beautiful place.
When a young man posted a thread on Reddit saying that he was considering suicide because of his ‘man boobs’, Christopher Pineda decided it was time to step in.
Like the man who posted the Reddit thread, Chris suffers from gynaecomastia, a condition that causes boys’ and men’s breasts to grown larger than normal.
Posting a reply on Reddit, Chris wrote: ‘Hey there, I just want to tell you that it’s okay to feel the way you do. You’re not wrong in feeling the way you do, it’s only natural given the problem we’re facing. It’s difficult and I’ve felt the same way, and still do at times.’
He went on to direct the man to a video he’d made, ‘to help empower myself and others.’
The video shows Chris, topless, standing in front of a mirror.
Touchingly, he starts the video: ‘Sorry if I offend you, there is a good purpose to this video.’
He then goes on to explain that although living with gynaecomastia is hard, it’s definitely not worth ending your life over: ‘It hasn’t made my life easy as you can imagine. I’m not depressed, not at all. Yes, I’m sad, but not depressed. What I am, however, is very frustrated, I am frustrated with the cards that I have been dealt.’
He ends the video by reaching out to the Reddit user saying: ‘so yeah, if you have any questions, you wanna talk to me about your gynaecomastia, things you’ve been through…talk to me, I’m here.’
The best part of this story however is the overwhelming support Chris has been shown since posting his video. Yes, unfortunately (and predictably) there have been some nasty comments, but the vast majority have been supportive.
In fact, the response has been so positive that Chris has launched a fund to try and raise the money he needs for surgery.
Go Chris! Go internet!
And the video (turn captions 'off', if they annoy you):