“It’s not the color of our skin that makes us different, it’s the color of our thoughts”

— Steven Aitchison

When I was diagnosed with vitiligo in 2013, I was devastated! I felt like I was being cursed because things just KEPT happening to me. I prayed and I prayed for God to take it away or at least not let it show up on my face... But it did. Once again devastation set in because all these years I had been encouraging children and empowering women to be true to themselves and 'love the skin you're in' and yet I hated my own.

My markings continued to spread. I covered it with makeup every day until I realized that eventually it was too much (and too messy) to cover. It took sum soul-searching and a few complements from others lol, but I finally got to a point where I LOVE my cow spots (as I like to call them). I also realize that this is not a curse but a beautiful gift from God that I can use as a platform to reach others who struggle with self acceptance.

Vitiligo is gift of uniqueness, a gift of distinction, and a gift of rarity. It confirms the fact that there's only ONE me. And there will never, ever be another. My condition forces me to remember who I am, and be transparent even when people aren't receptive to me. My skin is a visual reminder and representation of my life journey. My skin is so special because It's the one thing about me that can never be recreated. My skin is beautiful art. Even my adorning tattoos have sentimental meaning... each and every one of them!

I'm always so intrigued by my Vitiligo markings so I document the progression by taking pics of myself every day. Pictures allow me to capture priceless moments in time that I would otherwise never see again. What started as a single spot, has now permeated over my entire body. It's so weird sometimes to look back at pictures from just a few years ago and not recognize yourself.