Did you know - Vitiligo Awareness Day is this month on June 25!? In fact, the entire month of June has been dedicated to bringing global awareness to Vitiligo.

But wait - maybe you’re wondering…what even is vitiligo!?

That’s a great question, and if I’m honest, had you asked me that 10 or 15 years ago I might not have had a definitive answer for you!

7 years ago, I began losing pigment in small patches of my skin. It started around my face, and over the years has become (what I see as beautiful) patchwork all over my body! More on this in a bit…

For a more proper definition, Vitiligo (pronounced “vit-il-EYE-go”) is a skin condition that causes your skin to lose its color or pigment. This causes your skin to appear lighter than your natural skin tone or turn white.

Only a whopping 1-2% of the population is affected by this rare condition…including me!

I personally love that World Vitiligo Awareness Day falls in the middle of summertime while I’m wearing dresses, swimsuits, and more. Is that surprising? If so, I understand. Because as someone who LOVES being outside (and therefore naturally having my arms, legs, etc exposed), you might wonder why I’m proud to show off my Vitiligo. Especially having developed it well into life!

If you’re someone who has Vitiligo and/or another condition that maybe you feel a little embarrassed about, or confused about how to adjust to - I want you to know that I understand. It can be alarming and a HUGE change in your life…no matter what “it” is. That’s why today, in honor of World Vitiligo Awareness Day, I want to share with you 3 ways I embrace my rare skin condition and use it to inspire others!

Change is inevitable, but we can choose our response. Let’s face it. We’re all going to face change at many points in our lives, right? Of course, this can look a MILLION different ways, and for me, adjusting to developing Vitiligo was a really big change. As someone who loves being out and about, on the boat, wearing new styles of clothing, etc…I most certainly had to acclimate to what was happening to my skin. Here’s the thing - getting Vitiligo was completely out of my control. Change, in itself, is inevitable! So instead of trying to control it or stop it altogether, what if we decided to respond intentionally? With more of an open mind and heart? That is what I have done with vitiligo, and the next two points will share more about how that has unfolded to be a huge blessing in my life (and hopefully others’ lives, too).
It’s all about perspective. You see, I can either see my Vitiligo (yes, I like to call it “mine” 🥰) as a setback or a GIFT! If I choose to look at it as a gift - something God has entrusted me to navigate, it changes everything. I can either look at it as a misfortune or an opportunity. A blessing or a curse. Something to be ashamed of or something to embrace. Do you see my point? I have the power to choose, and that choice is all in how I decide to SEE - and of course how I react, accordingly. I am a woman of many accessories. I love jewelry and hats, trinkets, and more. So how cool is it that I have my very own permanent “set” of accessories? The best part is that my Vitiligo continues to develop and change, meaning I find areas that have newly appeared or shifted…gifting me with an ever-changing collection of adornments. This leads me to my final point (though I could truly talk about this forever)...
New opportunities to connect! For me, everything leads to this final point. Vitiligo has more unique opportunities to connect with others than I could have ever imagined. From connecting with others in the Vitiligo community to getting to share with people who are curious and have never seen it before - I am grateful for the open doors this condition has granted me with. I have story after story about connections I’ve made through Vitiligo (keep an eye out for a future blog post sharing some of these)...and I welcome/embrace any chance to share or answer questions about it!

I want to leave you with this - what in YOUR life could be “YOUR” Vitiligo? Of course, I don’t literally mean you have this condition. But what is something that has changed in your life (even something really small) - that you could change the way you see it? What is something you have or know that you could choose to see through a different lens, and to connect with others through?

There are many changes in our lives that we could see as negative - but I believe we have the possibility of seeing (and using) these changes for GOOD.
I’d love to share more on this topic, on a more consistent basis. Is there anything you’re wondering about that you’d like to hear more about? Let me know in the comments, via email (lucy@lucysinspired.com) or by dropping me a DM on Instagram (@lucysinspired)!