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Personal Narrative: Oculocutaneous Albinism

669 Words3 Pages

Everyone has had to face obstacles at some point in their life and everyone has had to overcome the said obstacles, mentally and physically. I have had to overcome the obstacle of having a physical disability known as oculocutaneous albinism. It is a hereditary recessive genetic condition with characteristics of having a reduction or complete lack of melanin resulting in no pigment in the hair skin and eyes. As years have gone by and I matured due to having faced many challenges, I would love to have the opportunity to go back and give advice to my younger self.
I was diagnosed with oculocutaneous albinism when I was three months old. I and others with the same genetic condition tend to generate stares and whispers due to the distinct difference in appearance in the hair and skin. I suffer from low vision, …show more content…

I was in public school till my fifth grade year and I became homeschooled. I transferred to homeschooling because of relentless teasing, bullying, and difficulty at making friendships. I was tagged with names such as albino rhino, cocaine girl, and Snow White. In movies albinism is most of the time portrayed as someone who is evil or has special powers. Since the movie Frozen came out in 2013 I was given the name Elsa. When I was younger I wanted to look like anyone else but me. I wanted to dye my hair and eyebrows black, anything that would change my appearance.
I have had to overcome my disability as much as possible in many ways. It wasn’t always easy but I was able to figure out a few tricks to help me along the way. Memorization has helped me profoundly; it has been a key factor in my education because of my eyesight. Oculocutaneous albinism is hard to live with but gets easier because you just adapt to your surroundings, it is not something you can just look at a list of things to do and you live by the list. Each case of albinism is different for each

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