For the family of Mariah Anderson, every day is a gift. The 2-year-old has a rare disorder called Chromosome Two Duplication Syndrome, and her prognosis is not good.
So, her family has an extra-special reason to celebrate each birthday. Last month, her mother Kyra Pringle posted a picture of her daughter on Facebook to celebrate her second year of life, News 2 reported.
However, the happy day for the South Carolina family soon turned to horror.
According to Pringle, somehow the photo began being shared all over the Internet.
Cyberbullies began taunting her daughter, calling her ugly, and saying she looked like a leprechaun.
Some even turned the photo of Mariah into a meme.
Pringle said she never thought she would have to speak out about her daughter in response to a negative story, but she wants the bullies to know her daughter is the light of her life.
"The smile that you guys think is funny or the smile that you guys are comparing to a leprechaun," she told News 2, "the things you guys are saying about my child, she's not a monster, she's real."
Mariah's grandmother Linda Pringle said the bullies should know that their jokes are hurtful, not funny.
"This is actually a human being, this is a child, this is a baby," she told News 2.