I am a Peace Corps volunteer in West Africa. I live in the same village as this girl named Suru. Along with the beautiful eyes, she is completely deaf and has a patch of white skin on her right hand.

In elementary school, I was made fun of for my birthmark. I got called Pizza Face, Tomato Face, and other harmful names. So I tried to laser it away to make my appearance more comfortable for other people to look at, so I was less of a target. I’m forever grateful that the laser never ended up working. I wear my birthmark proudly. It makes me me.

With the power of modern medicine, I was able to get another finger on each hand. On my left hand, you'll notice a bent pointer finger, that finger is man-made.

My name is Alicia, and getting Vitiligo at a very young age was the best thing that ever happened to me. Everywhere I go, it allows me to stand out among a crowd. When I was little, maybe kids did not understand, but going through high school and beyond now, my peers absolutely adore it. It has only gotten better since I became an adult and moved to a big city. The world is different now. 

This condition reduces the coloring (pigmentation) of the iris, which is the colored part of the eye, and the retina, which is the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye. Pigmentation in the eye is essential for normal vision.