6 minute read
Three Stories of Life with Vitiligo
Three Stories of Life with Vitiligo
By Terry L. Watson
Tiffany Stancil
She has lived with Vitiligo all of her life. Tiffany Stancil of Raleigh, NC, is an easygoing, southern lady. She is married and has two wonderful children, who are 26 and 17 years of age, and she has a couple of granddaughters who bring her immense joy.
Tiffany describes her experience with Vitiligo as a long-going love/hate relationship. She adds, “Growing up, I didn’t really understand or know what I had. In Elementary school, kids would ask me why my fingertips and toes were lighter than the other parts, and I had no answer. I was insecure and didn’t want to draw attention to myself, so I would make sure to dial down the colors I wore on my feet and fingers. As I grew up and became a teenager, I never really had any problems with people commenting on my hands and feet, but I was still self-conscious. By my adulthood, I had come to embrace the spots I had on my feet and hands as well as the other spots that started to show in other areas. By age 30, after my second child was born, I started to get spots on my face, and that thrust me into a light I didn’t want but soon embraced.”
Tiffany says her condition has impacted her life in so many ways. In the beginning, she saw it as an inconvenience and even wondered why God gave Vitiligo to her. As her condition spread, she had a real conversation with God on how to handle it. “I’ve had all my life to get used to it on my hands and feet but my face was a different story and it took me some years to accept it fully. Every day can be different, I can’t say living with Vitiligo is easy because it’s not. When you live with a condition that can change at any time, you may have uncertainty,” she explains.
Even navigating through life’s normal day-to-day routines can be difficult for someone who has Vitiligo, and Tiffany’s experience was sometimes just that: difficult. She recalls the times when she went on job interviews and auditions (she is a model, by the way), and in the back of her head, she would be concerned with how she would be received. “Will they freak out when they see me? Will they accept me anyway and look past my spots? Are they hiring/selecting me out of pity? I had to actively get up and show up for my children and let them see their mother overcome something she has no control over, but life goes on, and beauty is what you make it, not what others say it is.”
Tiffany advises others who may be dealing with Vitiligo to find a support group in your area. She adds that it helps to talk about your feelings and encounters with others who know exactly what you are going through. “Always know that you are you, and no matter what, no one can take that from you."
Danielle Cox
About nine years ago, Danielle Cox of Raleigh, NC, says Vitiligo altered her life and changed her outer appearance completely.
It started as a small spot on Danielle’s right hand. She shares, “I knew what it was because my grandmother and Aunt both have Vitiligo.” Still, adjusting to living with the condition has been something Danielle has managed throughout her life.
While it has been nine years since the inception of Vitiligo, at times, Danielle shares it feels like her journey has just begun. “I am blessed to have experienced more positive feedback than negative. When people stare, I imagine myself as a celebrity and just smile and wave. I definitely stand out wherever I go, so I might as well own it!”
Currently, Danielle is an active member of the North Carolina Vitiligo Support Group. While there are a few days along the way, Danielle remains inspired to help others. “The skin that I’m in is only my outer shell that embodies all of the beauty that exists from within me. I now can say, “I love the skin I’m in.”
“When people stare, I imagine myself as a celebrity and just smile and wave. I definitely stand out wherever I go, so I might as well own it.”
Danielle is a single mother of two handsome boys and serves as a lead teacher at a child development center. Danielle is a single mother of two handsome boys and serves as a lead teacher at a child development center.
Kimyetta McNeil
Most people call her Kimmie. At 51 years of age, Kimyetta McNeil of Fayetteville, NC, knows a little about overcoming and endurance. She is a mother of two sons, William, who is 31, and Franklin (Von), who passed away at the young age of 25.
For nearly 21 years, Kimmie has been living with Vitiligo and says it hasn’t been an easy thing to do. “Vitiligo can be very debilitating. In the beginning, I experienced depression, isolation, and rejection. I went through light theraphy and creams, and documented the progression of my changing skin by taking pictures of myself. I wasn’t very sociable because of the way people stared at me, not to mention the comments. Also, dating wasn’t even a thing. I didn’t like taking pictures because I couldn’t grasp the way I looked or how I felt about Vitiligo or myself. With much research and education, I’ve learned that Vitiligo is hereditary, and a traumatic change in life or stress makes it worse.”
Kimmie says that while going through the changes of her life and living with Vitiligo, it has helped her to look deeper within and gain confidence in who she is. “I’ve never loved me more than I do now. Having a spiritual relationship with Christ and knowing who I am is the best thing ever. My prayer life with seeking God has kept
and helped me through some dark moments, and having that support from the Vitiligo Community, friends, and family has also been a help. I really enjoy taking pictures, and I have been part of several photoshoots and looking forward to many more.”
Living with Vitiligo has been challenging for Kimmie. She shares that working with people was a challenge at first because of the simple fact that others didn’t know what Vitiligo was and were afraid to ask, possibly because they didn’t know how she would respond. Kimmie concludes by sharing some kind and sound advice. “Anyone who’s dealing with Vitiligo or not dealing with it, it doesn’t change who you are. Remember that loving yourself and taking care of your mental health is a priority.”
Kimmie is a graduate of Lumberton Senior High School in Lumberton, NC. She has attended to study as a Medical Office Assistant and CNA I and II.
