Life with vitiligo can be hard at times. Worrying about the sun, putting on sunscreen every fifteen minutes, not being able to go outside much during the summer. I am sixteen years old and I have had vitiligo since I was two. Its really hard to deal with at times. In elementary school, I thought everyone was nice. But I was wrong. There was teasing, bullying, and fighting. "Casper" "Pastey" "Ugly" "Freak" "Pale" were the constant words people called me. I was once pushed into a bush, full of thorns, on my way home from school. My mom said it would stop, I believed her. And for awhile, it did. I have a rare case of vitiligo, it affects every part of me. But in other cases, its only in spots. It affects my skin, my hair, and my life. I hate wearing skirts, dresses, or shorts. I threw them all in the back of my closet once. I got sick of looking at them. I didn't have many friends back in elementary school, just three or four.
But now that I've accepted myself, I love myself. I wear skirts, I wear dresses, I wear short. I have tons of friends. Sure, I'm still bullied sometimes, but it doesn't get to me. And I love when people ask me why I'm so pale or why I can't tan, they're getting to know me. And I love myself now and I regret ever putting myself down.
I'm special. I'm beautiful. I have vitiligo.