Vitiligo: How a Kenyan Fights Vitiligo Opponents The number of persons who have the disease vitiligo worldwide is at least 100 million. Andr...
Vitiligo: How a Kenyan Fights Vitiligo Opponents
The number of persons who have the disease vitiligo worldwide is at least 100 million.
Andrew Clifford Okal is prepared to establish himself as a self-assured celebrity who never gives up in this region of the world where society places a premium on appearance.
He has had Vitiligo for 13 years, yet it did not stop him from overcoming many obstacles and living a fearless life.
Instead, he resisted harassment of those with skin conditions and persisted in trying to influence people's perceptions.
The skin disorder vitiligo is characterised by a chemical deficiency that results in the skin turning white or red.
This can occasionally cause swelling in the ear or eye. When some cells known as melanocytes perish or cease to function, vitiligo develops.
The function of the gene is to create melanin, which gives skin, hair, and eyes their colour.
Africans are among the millions of individuals affected by the sickness, and those who are afflicted with it endure public harassment.
The initial signs
Okal was raised by my grandparents as an orphan in Kenya. He had a confident outlook on life, excelled in school, and was constantly active and eager to try new things.
Okal, who is now 30 years old, recalls clearly how he first identified Vitiligo symptoms on his lips in 2010 while still a senior in high school.
He believed it to be a blood clot, but unlike blood clots, the little mole did not go away quickly.
Instead, it grew larger and eventually reached his hands, feet, and face. At this point, it bothered him.
I did not develop vitiligo at birth. But my lips started to grow red when I attended high school," he told TRT Afrika.
Okal described how his students make fun of him, saying that "my friends say I'm a bastard and some of them drive a car."
Vitiligo cure
Okal made the decision to welcome his return wholeheartedly and declare himself "special." From that point on, he started spreading awareness about skin conditions wherever he went, encouraging those who had the condition to keep going and urging the community to respect those who had it.
He came up with the catchphrase "Vitiligo People Are Beautiful," which attracted a lot of attention, and he stood up.
He didn't care how others perceived him because of his sickness; all he cared about was how happy he was.
Okal claimed that in addition to the bullying and prejudice he encounters at home and on the street, he also has to deal with the cost of his medications and the prejudice he encounters while applying for jobs after high school.
However, he later secured employment in Nairobi as a teacher.
Although some students who carry coconuts frequently inquire about his skin tone, he gently responds to them and the majority of them have become accustomed to this.
AVOID conversing with others
He claimed, "If I don't wear sunscreen, my face burns and gets red and puffy."
Okal dispelled vitiligo beliefs by stating that the condition is not spread through contact.
Vitiligo "doesn't cause any pain or discomfort," he said, merely a change in skin colour. Some people, he claimed, refuse to shake hands with him.
Okal smiled and said, "People think I will give them Vitiligo if I greet them with my hand."
He claimed that this is one of the aspects of the illness that people do not comprehend and that this contributes to his treatment as a target of discrimination.
The Vitiligo Research Foundation in the US estimates that at least 100 million people worldwide have the skin condition vitiligo.
This organisation, together with a related organisation in Nigeria, asked the UN to declare June 25 of each year as World Vitiligo Day in 2011. The two organisations have been commemorating this day since 2011.
According to experts, anyone can get vitiligo, and it occurs every year, but the majority of cases begin before the age of 20.
Why does mele sickness occur
According to the US Department of Health, one of the top research institutions in the world, "Vitiligo is more common in people who have a family history of vitiligo and other similar diseases," she noted.
Addison's disease, Pernicious disease, Anaemia disease, Psoriasis disease, Rheumatoid arthritis disease, first type of diabetes, and others are a few of the illnesses that can either cause or exacerbate Vitiligo.
Lack of the chemical that creates skin colour is the primary symptom of vitiligo, which is problematic.