Many parents wish to capture newborn pictures of their children and share them with others.
Patricia Williams was no exception to this rule. She snapped a sweet photo of her son. When she sought to share his images with others, she got a rude awakening.
Continue reading to find out more. Patricia’s son, Redd, was born in 2012.
The young boy had white hair from birth, but his mother didn’t notice anything else about him until he was two months old.
When her husband Dale decided to look into why the baby’s eyes were shifting side to side, he was surprised to realize that it was an indication of albinism. Patricia was skeptical because she had never heard of albinism before, but the small kid displayed all of the characteristics of the condition, including pale skin, white hair, and tracking eyes.
The couple’s next step was to see a geneticist and an optician to get a formal diagnosis. Redd was diagnosed with Oculocutaneous Albinism Type 1 (OCA1), a condition that affects 1 in 17,000 people globally.
Patricia recalls the enthusiasm among the hospital staff when Redd was born, they were all excited to see the newborn with white hair and blue eyes. Patricia, on the other hand, didn’t notice because she, her husband, and her firstborn son, Gauge, all had blonde hair.
She recalls observing his hair was so white that it would sparkle in the son a month after they brought Redd home.
Despite her efforts to avert them, his gaze would follow her and he would not move away. He also had extraordinarily blue eyes that glittered crimson under certain lighting situations.
Patricia was certain that her kid would outgrow these traits, but she didn’t realize it was a lifelong disease until her second son was born with the same issue.
Rockwell, born in February 2018, was born with the same disease as his older brother. Users on social media took the newborn baby boy’s images and exploited them to make horrible memes. Redd has also been the focus of bullying at school because of his unusual appearance.
As a result, his older brother Gauge began to keep an eye out for him. Rockwell’s family, on the other hand, was well-prepared because they were well-informed about albinism at the time of his birth. They had not anticipated, however, that photographs of their little kid would become a meme.
Dale and Patricia originally attempted to persuade everyone who had shared the image to remove it, but they quickly realized that this was impossible, so they decided to simply ignore the whole thing.
They decided to become champions for spreading awareness about it in order to avoid bullying of youngsters with the condition of being different. Patricia was furious when doctors verified Redd’s albinism.
She was concerned about how the child would be treated in life because of his or her differences, as well as how their family dynamics would change if they had a child that burned easily and would go blind in the future.
She revealed why Rockwell was the center of attention. “It’s very unusual to see a baby with white hair,” she explained, “and Rockwell’s hair sticks straight up, so it’s very noticeable.”
She gained a significant following after photographs of her children became viral memes. She quickly began to receive inquiries about her son’s appearance and realized that not everyone was aware of albinism.
She realized that most people’s knowledge of albinism stemmed from obscure films with limited representation. As a result, she realized she had a unique opportunity to raise awareness of albinism.
After undergoing eye surgery to address his strabismus, Redd was transferred from a special school for blind children to a public school. The operation was a wise decision taken by the family because it helped Redd much.
They decided against putting an eye patch on Redd because they believed it would bring attention to the child and make him stand out even more. As Redd grew older, his friends began to notice his ‘differences’ less and less.
Redd could play outside without any special gear—all he needed was a hat, dark sunglasses, and sunscreen—but he was otherwise just like any other kid. And, like Redd, his younger brother Rockwell performed admirably.
On April 28, 2023, Patricia tweeted a video of Rockwell from his school’s “Western Day.” This time, the youngster was showered with love and support on social media. The youngster was described as “cute” and “adorable.”
According to Patricia, there is a prevalent misconception that people with albinism have red eyes. She remarked that they commonly had light blue eyes since their eyes lack color.
The boys are currently prospering and having the time of their lives!
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