Sam, now a 22-year-old health insurance professional, was 7 years old when his family started notching little vitiligo patches on his body. The childhood was the toughest time to deal with name-calling and bullying. “People would call me names and make fun of me, but somehow my parents reminded me that I was the person I was meant to be, and I was perfect,” Sam recalls.
People often mistake the main cause of the condition, just as well as the likeliness of it spreading with a single touch. Amid these misconceptions and misinformation, Sam didn’t take a long time to get used to living with vitiligo: “I felt quite at home every time I saw my patches. I stopped my treatment long back because I felt vitiligo complemented me. I couldn’t be more in love with it! I’m a work of art.”
If there was any work left, music did help Sam accept himself fully. “Music has really been what speaks to me and what I feel like truly helps me speak. I feel once you accept who you are and how your body is you’ll have the key to success in any business,” says Sam who also runs a YouTuber channel.
When if asked Sam if, in his opinion, vitiligo is underrepresented in books and movies. His answer was YES. “Awareness should be spread, not for others to accept us but for those who have it to learn to accept how beautiful they truly are.”
“Is there anything you would like to share with fellow vitiligo fighters?” we asked the young Puerto Rican. He replied, “My experience with vitiligo has been an all-out Rollercoaster. But, in the end, I always knew that somehow this made me who I am and there is no better person to be.”
Well, we hope young vitiligans draw some inspiration from Sam’s vitiligo journey. We wish you all a bright future ahead!
