Keeping it real

I have lived my vitiligo mostly with love and acceptance. I grew up with the most amazing people who made me feel awesome everyday and believed that my uniqueness was something to be proud of.

To be honest, most of the time I don’t pay attention to people staring or making any comments to my skin. I can’t say it doesn’t happen, but I just don’t notice it. I really don’t think about it too much, I even forget sometimes it's there. But since I got a new spot on my neck, a lot of insecurities and feelings came back that I hadn’t felt in a long time.

I know that feeling happy and positive all the time can’t be realistic, that life itself is a roller coaster when it comes to emotions… and I believe that these emotions is what vitiligo has come to show me.

It has taught me that it is okay if one day I want to feel sad because is happening to me… that I can feel upset because I see my new spot growing and I am not used to seeing yet. Feeling frustrated because I must take extra medical test to prove insurance companies I don’t have any other autoimmune disorder caused by my vitiligo, can also be part of the process. Or even sad when I realized I can’t even be a candidate when donating blood also because of my condition.

But after the rush of all of those emotions, I always remember vitiligo has taught me to be patient, to be kind with myself and my body. To always do my best to find the way back from those gray moments and remind myself that everything is okay. That there is nothing wrong with being different and it is perfectly fine if I got to live life with another set of skin.

I wasn’t sure what I wanted to share this time in my blog, because I felt I had to be at my best so I could get inspired and share something inspiring for you. But then I realized that being completely honest with you is what makes this real. And even though I've been having these mixed feelings, I know for a certainty that I wouldn't change a thing in my life, specially my skin...

I am pretty sure I am not alone on this. We all have good and bad days, and it always brings a lesson with it. Is there anything that helps you remember who you are and pushes you come back from those gray days? Can't wait to read about it below on the comments!

Andrea Islas

IG: @MiVitiligoyYo