David Concepcion Diaz

There is a New Angel in Heaven
David Concepcion Diaz

Our beloved son David was a kind, sweet and sensitive single young man of twenty-five with a very bright future ahead of him. In the early fall of 2007 he was diagnosed with vitiligo and tragically, less than a year later, on July 15, 2008 he chose to end his life. Nothing will ever be the same for our family. The world feels like a different place without David. But together we have resolved to continue because we know that is what David would want.

In David’s loving memory, we offer his story in the hope that it can educate and bring awareness to other families of children and young people with vitiligo. We have painfully learned that vitiligo is not just a simple skin disorder that can be easily treated or covered up with make-up. But rather that it is an incurable and often chronic medical condition that affects the whole person, including your loved one’s mental health. Vitiligo can result in significant psychological distress, major clinical depression and tragedy. It is imperative that families of children and young adults diagnosed with vitiligo are aware that initial and ongoing mental health screening and evaluation are just as important as the dermatological treatments currently offered to persons with this condition. Your loved one’s life may very well depend on early diagnosis and appropriate treatment of depression and/or other co-occurring mental health disorders.

David was born in the Bronx, New York on December 19, 1982. He graduated from Sacred Heart High School in Yonkers, New York and attended and

David Concepcion Diaz

graduated in 2006 from Lehman College in the Bronx with a BA degree in Business Administration. He was working at MTV Networks in the Finance Department while also attending evening classes necessary to acquire the Public Accounting Certification (CPA). David was a high achiever and very ambitious. He was sure he would earn millions with a dream of buying his parents a house and his beloved sister, Shanna, a car. Those were his primary goals.

Everyone who knew David loved him to pieces. Neighbors were fond of him, describing him as well mannered and warm. Others said he was humble, gentle, and oh, so funny. David was also aware of the ills that plagued the world and felt deep emotion and empathy for those less fortunate. He wanted to live a simple life and contribute those millions to others so that they could also live a good life. The note he left on the windowsill said simply: “Ever since birth I stood for myself and what I believed in. I never did anything wrong”. We don’t know why he wrote those words. Perhaps he felt that vitiligo and the other difficulties in his life were forms of Divine punishment. Or perhaps that is simply how he wanted to be remembered. Sadly, we will never know for sure what our beloved son was thinking on that fateful summer morning; his suicide will forever remain a mystery just as the many others that occur each year -- one every eighteen minutes in the United States. In today’s world, the acute and sometimes chronic stress of modern life can often be difficult to bear, even for those without vitiligo. But what we do know for sure is that we all continue to love him, feel very proud of the many things he accomplished and remain in awe of the many lives he so profoundly touched in his short time here on Earth.

In the late summer of 2007, David began to notice a single circular white patch, about the size of a quarter, develop on his right cheek. At first, David and we thought the patch was perhaps the result of over exposure to the sun during a family cruise to the Bahamas earlier that summer. Regrettably, at that

Carlos, David's Father, Evelyn, David's Mother, Shanna, David's sister and David

time, neither David nor we had any real knowledge about vitiligo. Gradually, the white circular patch began to grow, spread upward toward his eye, and downward toward his neck. In time, his right eyebrow, eyelashes, and patches of hair also began to turn white. A visit to his primary care physician in the fall of 2007 resulted in a diagnosis of vitiligo and a referral to a New York hospit

al for further evaluation and subsequent treatment with Narrow Band UVB (Excimer Laser) therapy. David received seven Excimer Laser treatments before his death and did not experience any significant improvement or restoration of skin pigmentation as a result of those treatments.

Unlike others whose vitiligo is primarily manifested on the arms, torso or legs -- and can walk about the world without much notice or stares -- David could not easily conceal his condition. His vitiligo was prominently on display each and every day. Sadly, the ignorance in the world about vitiligo left David open to unwelcome stares, rejection and sometimes even cruel and hurtful remarks. Among the remarks that David experienced: “What is that on your face?” “What’s the matter with your face?” “Is that “thing” on your face contagious?” Other times it was just that constant on-and-off stare that we all think the person we are staring at does not notice. They do! Sadly, sometimes these questions came from people who knew him before vitiligo. But other times they came from complete strangers on the subways and streets of New York City. David tried to ignore the questions and stares, but at times genuinely felt hurt and annoyed by them. He once said to his mother “he sometimes felt like a monster”. Not surprisingly, David also once said that the only strangers he did not mind getting questions about his vitiligo from were children. Ironically, although David did not have any children, he expressed concern about the likelihood of his future children developing vitiligo and the hardships that may have to endure.

David and his sister Shanna

In closing, we sincerely hope and pray that this brief account of our beloved David’s story will prevent other lives from being lost and make a difference in the lives of others with vitiligo, and their families. We also want to express our deepest, and most sincere, appreciation and gratitude for the love, kindness, support and encouragement that Stella of the AVRF has personally provided to our family during the past several months. Special thanks to our daughter Shanna for bringing the AVRF to our attention and may God bless you Stella and the wonderful work that you do.

By David’s father (Carlos), mother (Evelyn) and sister (Shanna)

 

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