June has become a special month, all because of World Vitiligo Day. I remembered 2 years ago, I found out that there was a special day for us, Vitiligans. I felt like a bubble busted around me. I was already used to only knowing my grandma and my uncle having vitiligo besides me. It was also normal for me not to talk about it actually, but then when somebody random I followed on Instagram shared something about World Vitiligo Day. It was a revolution of feelings inside me.
It was exciting to know that there was such a beautiful community. The hashtags took me to all these different profiles and pages that showed me how a lot of people are proud of their skin. At the same time it was also sad. I realized that if there was a need of a World Vitiligo Day and a awareness month, clearly there was still a lot of misinformation, as well as a lot of people still struggling in this path of self-acceptance and self-love.
So, that day I realized that I didn’t want to go through my Vitiligo journey without talking about it. I knew then, like I know now, that I was lucky to have such supporting people around me. It made the path to self-acceptance a little bit easier. But the truth is, that there is still a lot of taboos towards vitiligo and a lot of wrong information. These misintepretations could cause fear, not only for the people who have vitiligo, but also for the people who will misjudge them or make them feel unwanted, because they still believe it might be contagious for example.
I remember that day I wrote something about how grateful I was for the people around me. How vitiligo is a fundamental part of who I am and how I could not imagine myself any different. The way I spoke about it, made me realize that if I could share those thoughts with the world I could maybe make a difference to somebody out there and let them know that it was not all bad. That there was also a lot of people who will truly see you for the amazing person you are and not for the way you look.
So, with help of one of my best friends I came out with the idea of “Mi Vitiligo y yo” on Instagram. A place where I could share my thoughts on vitiligo, my experiences, and feelings towards it. But also, inform people about the condition and break taboos and myths about it.
When I started the project, I remembered how nervous I was. I was afraid that people wouldn’t see any reason for it, or maybe think that it was not such big of a deal to make a page about it. But then, when I started receiving messages from people who will relate to my stories, who had questions about it, or just needed somebody to understand them and talk about it; I realized it was all worth it.
This project now took me to meet amazing people! To be part of a community that creates awareness in the most special way. But also, it has made me grown so much as a person . I opened myself in a way that I even got to know ME better. To be true to my feelings and emotions has been the most gratifying gift I have given myself and better yet, it has taken me to help others with their acceptance journey towards their vitiligo or to find comfort that everything will be ok.
For me, World Vitiligo Day is more than a day of awareness, it was the beginning of something special and amazing. It was the moment I became a part of a community and a family all over the world. It was an eye opening to the reality outside of my Vitiligan bubble. It was an opportunity to do something and help in any way I could, even if it was just by sharing my story.
I would love to read about what having a World Vitiligo Day has taught you or how do you feel about having a day celebrating something that is part of you? Please share your thoughts in the comments below!
Andrea Islas
Instagram: @MiVitiligoyYo
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