When Patricia Williams’ son Redd was born in 2012, she was amazed by how beautiful his white hair was. People seemed to like and laugh at her when she showed pictures of her new baby to her friends and family. She had no idea that this was just the start of a trip that would test her family’s strength and change their lives forever.
Patricia and her husband Dale started to notice other strange things about Redd as he grew up. His skin was very sensitive to the sun, and his eyes moved in a strange way, like they were following. A Google search showed that these signs were common in kids who have albinism, a genetic disorder that affects around 1 in 17,000 people in the world.
After seeing several doctors, Redd was finally told that he had Oculocutaneous Albinism Type 1 (OCA1). Although the news was shocking, it also made Redd’s unique qualities more clear. Patricia and Dale were keen to get more people to know about albinism and fight the myths that people had about it.
But there were some hard parts on their trip. Redd was picked on at school, and mean things were said about his younger brother Rockwell, who was also born with albinism. Patricia and Dale were heartbroken, but they didn’t let the bad feelings take over. But instead, they decided to teach others and encourage equality.
Patricia found that many people didn’t know much about albinism because of her work as an advocate. She worked hard to make people more aware, clearing up misunderstandings and encouraging understanding. Her hard work paid off, and Redd and Rockwell were soon doing very well. Surgery helped them see better, and they learnt how to keep their sensitive skin out of the sun.
Patricia still tells the moving story of her family because she wants to make the world a place where kids like Redd and Rockwell are praised for being different. Her story shows how strong love and determination can be, and it reminds us that what makes us unique is our differences.
