Bailey Pretak was born with a very rare genetic condition called lamellar ichthyosis that causes her skin to crack and shed. The incredibly painful condition prevents Bailey’s skin from separating cells at a normal rate, which makes her skin very dry and scaly.

Bailey’s skin requires daily exfoliation and moisturizing to prevent it from peeling any further. Because of her unique outward appearance, Bailey was relentlessly bullied as a child, and other kids would call her names like “Scaly Bailey” and “The Contagious Girl.” Things got so bad that other parents demanded that their children be removed from Bailey’s class, fearing that she might be contagious.

Bailey’s mother Tracie has always been very protective of her daughter, and she decided to give the people bullying her a taste of their own medicine.

“Even if it was a child, I would get right down on their level and stare right back so they would see what it would feel like,” Tracie said.

Over time, Tracie shifted to using kindness to combat the hate her daughter was receiving.

“But I came to realize that part of Bailey’s insecurity was actually me and my reaction to those rude people, so I decided to change. Now when people stare, I just smile and wave,” she explained.

Now an adult, Bailey has risen above her skin condition to do incredible things! Barcroft TV recently highlighted her story in a YouTube video that has gone viral.

“Bailey Pretak is redefining beauty standards — by becoming a beauty queen,” the video description reads. “Bailey, 31, has battled lamellar ichthyosis all her life, a genetic disorder that affects just one in 200,000 people worldwide and has no cure. Ichthyosis prevents the skin from separating cells at a normal rate, causing a dry and scaly appearance to the outer layer.”

“But despite the hardship she faced when growing up, Bailey has reached a point of happiness in her life, winning beauty pageants and leading motivational speeches for those in need,” the description continues.

“I look in the mirror and realize that maybe this skin isn’t what I wanted — but it is who I am. 20 years ago, if you would have asked me to describe myself, I would have said ‘ugly,'” Bailey said in the video. “I realize that I have a story to tell and so I decided to become a motivational speaker.”

Though she has learned to live with her condition, it still presents her with many challenges.

“I have to take a lot of precautions in the summer time when it’s hot and humid,” Bailey said. “Even something as simple as a fever is life-threatening. If I do have a basic fever, I have to be covered in ice to get my body temperature back down as fast as possible.”

“I do have the confidence in myself now,” she concluded. “It has developed over the course of many years and it wasn’t an overnight transition.”

Bailey won her first beauty pageant in 2014, when she was crowned Miss Pennsylvania Sweet Heart. Find out more about her story in the video below, and SHARE this story so your friends and family can see this as well!