Tanner
by Beth

When Tanner was six years old, I noticed some pale spots appearing around his waist. I saw them, but I didn’t really think too much about them. After a month, the spots began creeping up the center of his back. I still was not too concerned, but the next time I took him to the doctor’s office, I decided to ask the physician to take a look. Her first response was that it could be what people refer to as “sun spots” caused by a fungus. That thought lasted only a few moments as she continued checking the rest of his body. “Does anyone in your family have Vitiligo?” she asked. I had to answer no – I’d never even heard of it. She explained a little bit about Vitiligo and referred us to a pediatric dermatologist.

Unwilling to believe that this was anything more than some benign fungus, I pushed her information to the back of my mind and bathed him for the next few weeks with dandruff shampoo – as recommended for the fungus. The results (or lack thereof) were disheartening. We scheduled an appointment with the dermatologist. By the time we were able to get in to see the new doctor, the spots had spread all the way up his back, onto his chest, and were beginning to show on both shins. We knew the diagnosis was correct before having to hear it for the second time.

Since that time, we have talked to specialists, done a lot of research, had discussions with family and friends, and talked to the few people we found who also have Vitiligo. We live in an age of science and technology, and yet with Vitiligo, there is no cure and treatments are not guaranteed. Many medications that might have limited success in controlling the spread of Vitiligo also have undesirable and even unhealthy side effects with long-term use.

Something else that has frustrated us as parents is being told that we should be grateful Tanner is generally healthy and should not be concerned over a mere cosmetic problem. We are grateful, of course, but at the same time, our hearts ache because it is not so much his physical health at stake here as his emotional and psychological health. Through reading the stories in the “Embracing Diversity” calendar, we’ve realized that there are parents out there who understand what this disorder means to us and our child. That in itself has encouraged us immensely!

This past summer, we had the chance to attend an AVRF Conference in Clearwater, FL. I must admit that I signed on feeling I would gain only limited information and not much more. I cannot adequately express how wrong I was or how much more we came away with as a result of this conference. My mind was full of information and my heart was full of peace. For the first time ever, Tanner met other children who have Vitiligo. Those kids took to each other in an instant – not one was left out of the fun! Seeing them running around, uninhibited, at the pool and on the beach was priceless to me. Tanner forged friendships there that I’m sure will last his lifetime. The conference was truly a shining light in our Vitiligo journey!

Well, it’s been several years since Tanner was first diagnosed, and his spots continue to spread across his body. Even so, he continues to amaze us and make us proud. His personality is wonderfully outgoing and his spirit, that we worried so much would be harmed, seems indomitable! He remains very open about his Vitiligo and has not let it stop him from doing anything and everything he wishes. Every new school year he knows he’ll spend the first few days explaining Vitiligo to the kids that don’t know him, but he handles this very graciously. I’m sure there are times when he wishes things were different, but then his best buddies and his new “Vitiligo friends” are always there to remind him that they think his Vitiligo “is really cool!” which helps him embrace his own unique diversity!

By Tanner’s Parents - Beth and Neal