Girl Comet was born in Dalea's heart in 2013, through her personal experiences growing up in a difficult environment and being born with health complications due to androgen insensitivity.
Why Do Differences Of Sex Development Occur?
No one knows why DSDs in babies occur (DSD = Differences of sex development), in her specific case, in the past there had been an inclination to think it was influenced by the medication Dyethilstilbestrol, which her mother took due to previous miscarriages. This drug was discontinued once it was linked to health harming side effects in babies and mothers. Unfortunately once exposure happened, it stays in the body. Dalea's mom passed away from cancer of the stomach, some doctors link it to her intake of the medication.
Girl Comet and Dalea are not MD's or Geneticists, if you want to learn more about this topic, it's mechanisms or which gene mutation(s) are involved in the many DSDs Variations that exist, consult a Specialist. Dalea once quoted a doctor’s explanation for her condition without confirming, and it turned out to be the wrong gene. Never assume a doctor without a specialty has fail proof knowledge in this area, unless they claim to posses medical specialty.
In 2018, Dalea's 74 year old aunt revealed to her that she was also born with a DSD. Why wait so long to confide in her? Why not share this information when Dalea was a teen going through her own tribulations? Shame. Dalea also knows families with siblings or extended family members born with various forms of DSDs, so it is logical to deduce that it is something that can run in families.
Aspiring to be of service as moral support to parents and those born DSD's while also keeping some private things private to the general public was not easy. In the beginning, before Girl Comet, being young and naive she begun speaking about it all openly. She even attempted to self publish a book, one that she took out of the market as it came out because it was not done right, and after editors bents and marketing edits, it turned it and her in to a circus meant to generate book sales, rather than to reflect her life; she felt it was garbage, so to the garbage it went.
Over time and various negative experiences with morbid minds, Dalea began to grow up, and shifted to focus on uplifting people rather than on detailing specifics about her body or questions of meds suspected to be part in her case. She also stopped sharing harsh portions of her childhood, including her mother's mental health, which was a critical part in her struggles. There was (and still is) much undigested pain and shame. Furthermore, in Latin cultures, offspring do not speak publicly of their parents in a negative light, no matter how deeply they may have made mistakes.
What can be respectfully said, is that her mother suffered from a mental illness that was triggered by stress, the stress of having a child alone, and her daughter being born with a DSD was too much. Archaic, provincial medical advise did not help, it further triggered her mom's emotions and pride. It all led to neglect and abandonment of her child, including deciding what gender she must make Leah exist as. There were challenging periods of Dalea's childhood when she was forced to live as the opposite sex, when Dalea had the misfortune to be under her mom's care or entrusted to the care of others who had no say or power in the matter.
Dalea is grateful to her grandmother, as she was able to go back to normal when taken back in to her arms and housing. Her grandmother was of humble beginnings and lacked resources, but she loved Dalea deeply. It was her grandmother who taught her to have Faith, to believe in God and in the energy in everything.
It is easy for some to judge and even hate those who are different, but not so easy to place yourself in their shoes. The psychological shock waves of living through and surviving all this can't be quantified. Yet, not understanding is no excuse for cruelty, hate or mistreatment. Unfortunately, this is what happens much too often, this is what she and others like her have to learn to raise above.
Dalea lived at four different family members homes growing up, interchangeably. Health challenges, a non present dad, the lack of a steady home and protection of a mother would be more than enough of a hurricane for any child or teen to crumble, she almost ended her own life at 14. Being born with a DSD, living in ignorance and without dignity, it is unsurprising that Dalea had no self esteem growing up. She endured in silence her childhood misfortunes. One example can paint a picture, having a mother who was a nurse, there is no excuse -other than neglect- for Dalea to have contracted Rheumatic Fever, simply due to not having a permanent guardian and supervision to notice she had been coughing, feverish, and weak for more than a year. She nearly lost her life at 12 years of age, when it could have been easily prevented with penicillin. Once she was finally taken to the hospital, it was only because she was delirious with fever and her grandmother could not control it with her home remedy of wet towels and tea bags on her hears. She spent weeks in convalescence with daily Penicillin injections and managed to survive, but to this day, an eye must be kept on her heart health as scarring is one of the results of surviving Rheumatic Fever.
There is PTSD and sorrow which Dalea chooses not to spend time dwelling upon, never mind go out and actively re-live her full lived experiences again and again by sharing them with all. Her struggles are no one's business but Dalea and her family's.
One thing is bewildering, why does it seem to mostly be those who have been deeply hurt and broken, the ones who display compassion and empathy for those hurting? The ones who feel the need to help others heal?.
