Marika Jones, had her first encounter with vitiligo when she was 2 years old. The 28-year-old educator recalls turbulent times: “It was really difficult for me as a child. I had to deal with people, even so-called family, calling me Dalmatian, cow, ugly, two-tone, and many other hurtful names. I would get left out of groups, and people would be scared to touch my hands when I was giving them something.”
Marika acknowledges the fact that it took her a while to get used to living with vitiligo. She feels the lack of knowledge of the uncommon made it hard to get through her childhood years. She spent her whole childhood thinking something was wrong with her. She would often ask God, ‘Why me?’ – “Growing up I never seen anyone else with it, that’s why it was so hard to accept it as a child. I would wait until I got home and just cry in my room for hours. Other times I kept myself busy with extracurricular activities, such as basketball, track, volleyball, dance, and drill team. My vitiligo also caused me to stop these activities because I would worry people were only talking about my vitiligo.”
It is more comforting knowing and seeing people with vitiligo on social media nowadays. Still, in this day and age, Marika often encounters people who would avoid exchanging money on the counter, assuming her vitiligo to be contagious. However, Marika prefers to look on the brighter side of life: “Being older, more independent and careless of the way others feel about my appearance, I feel like if I didn’t have vitiligo, I wouldn’t be ME. I was created to be who God wants me to be. I’m designed like no one else. Who am I to change that or want that to change? We’ve got to love ourselves because sometimes in life, we are all we’ve got. Now, for the most part, I forget I even have it.”
Today, Marika is quick to tell a child how everyone is created differently (including herself) and that’s how the world is so diverse. “Once my mother passed away, I had to motivate & push myself to keep moving forward in life. Here I am today. Loving myself x10,” she pours her heart out.
Marika finds comfort in writing poetry. She is currently writing a book along with working as a before & after care educator in schools. She is also a kids’ braiding artist and a single mother of 3 beautiful girls. We wish Marika the very best for all the new ventures.