Taking newborn photos of their children and sharing them with others is a common desire among parents. Patricia Williams was the same as other people in this regard. She captured her son in a loving photo. But when she attempted to share his photos with others, she got a bad surprise.
Patricia’s son Redd was conceived in 2012. The baby boy was born with white hair, but his mother didn’t notice any of his other characteristics until he was two months old.
Her husband Dale was shocked to discover that the baby’s eyes were moving side to side because that is a sign frequently connected to albinism when he decided to look into why the baby was doing so. The young boy had all the signs of albinism, including pale skin, white hair, and tracking eyes, but Patricia was skeptical because she had never even heard the term before.
The couple then sought a formal diagnosis from a geneticist and an optometrist. It was determined that Redd suffered from Oculocutaneous Albinism Type 1 (OCA1), a condition that affects 1 in 17,000 people worldwide.
Patricia recalls the anticipation among the hospital staff to meet the newborn with the white hair and blue eyes when Redd was born. The fact that her husband, herself, and her firstborn son, Gage, all had blonde hair at the time prevented Patricia from batting an eye.
She recalled seeing Redd’s hair was so white that it would shine in the son about a month after they had brought him home. She might try to shield them, but he would not turn his gaze away; his eyes would follow her. Additionally, under certain lighting conditions, his extremely blue eyes would glitter red.
Patricia was certain that her son would outgrow these traits, but she was unaware that they persisted until the birth of her second son, who also had the same condition.
The illness that afflicted his older sibling also affected Rockwell, who was born in February 2018. The newborn baby boy’s photos were stolen from social media users, who then used them to make depraved memes.
Redd had additionally experienced bullying at school as a result of his unique appearance. Because of this, Gage, his older brother, began to keep an eye out for him. However, because Rockwell’s parents were knowledgeable about albinism before he was born, they were completely ready. They did not, however, anticipate that the pictures of their young son would go viral.
Initially, Dale and Patricia tried to convince everyone who had shared the image to remove it, but they soon realized this was impossible, so they made the decision to disregard the situation as a whole.
They made the decision to become advocates for raising awareness of the issue in order to stop bullying of kids who have a condition that makes them different.
As soon as Redd’s albinism was confirmed by experts, Patricia became very upset.
She was worried about how the family dynamics would change if they had a child who burned easily and would eventually go blind, as well as how the child would be treated in life due to being different.
She gave an explanation of Rockwell’s attention’s importance. It’s extremely uncommon to see a baby with white hair, and Rockwell’s hair sticks straight up so it’s very noticeable, she says. ”.
As images of her son turned into a well-liked meme, she grew a sizable following. It didn’t take her long to realize that few people were aware of albinism after she started receiving questions about her son’s appearance.
She recognized that the majority of people’s knowledge of albinism was derived from obscure movies with subpar representation. She thought she had a unique chance to spread awareness of albinism.
After undergoing eye surgery to treat his strabismus, Redd switched from a special school for blind kids to a public school. The procedure benefited Redd, so the family made a smart decision to have it.
Because they believed it would draw attention to the kid and make him stand out even more, they decided against having Redd wear an eye patch. As Redd grew older, his “differences” were less and less noticeable to his friends.
Redd was just like any other child in that he could play outside without any special gear—all he needed was a hat, some dark sunglasses, and sunscreen. Like Redd, his younger brother Rockwell also achieved success.
Rockwell can be seen in a clip Patricia shared from his school’s “Western Day” on April 28, 2023. This time, the young person on social media received a lot of love and support. The young child was referred to as “cute” and “adorable.”. ”.
According to Patricia, it’s a common misconception that individuals with albinism have red eyes. They frequently have light blue eyes, according to her, because their eyes are colorless.
The boys are doing well and enjoying themselves right now!
For this wonderful family, we are ecstatic. Tell your Facebook friends about this incredible story, please. Everyone will be grateful for it.
