Sydney woman finally feels ‘worthy of love’ after keeping medical condition secret for more than two decades

For more than two decades, Janu Dhayanathan kept her genetic disorder a secret.

Even as lumps began to cover her entire body during puberty, it was decided by her family that to protect her inside Sydney’s close-knit Tamil community, her Neurofibromatosis (NF) diagnosis would be kept private.

As the 38-year-old approaches the 30th anniversary of her diagnosis this Valentine’s Day, it’s a relief to finally stop hiding.

“It’s physically exhausting holding onto a secret like that.

“When you’re not able to truthfully explain something so noticeable, people know you’re hiding something, so they assume the worst — so it made it very hard to connect on an authentic way with people.”