Walusa’s tale with vitiligo

Daphine Walusa was 17 when a spot developed on her lower lip. It was brought to her attention by her mother who wondered what it was. When she looked through the mirror, she saw a pink dot smaller than a grain of millet. She wouldn’t have thought much of it had the dot not expanded to the size of a bean in just a week. This was during the end of year school holidays and by the time she went back to school in early February, her friends were animatedly asking her what was going on. Her lower lip was now fully pink, and not in a nice way.

“Many students thought they knew what was going on. ‘Abalongo bakwookezza,’ they said. They explained that I may have treated a set of twins badly, even without my knowledge, and they were now burning my skin. We didn’t have twins in the family, and I was sure this was not a possible cause of my condition,” Walusa reminisces with a smile.
By the time her parents came for the first visiting day, both her lips had changed colour. They were so worried they secretly tested her for HIV just in case.
Having put that suspicion out of the way, her mother was very sure this was vitiligo. One of her brothers had and still remains with a white patch across his mouth due to this condition.

The flurry to look for treatment began. Her mother came back to school soon after with an assortment of herbs assuring the stressed out Walusa that they would reverse the condition. Walusa took the herbs with much enthusiasm but the condition kept on spreading.

Myth around vitiligo?
Vitiligo is a skin condition that is always associated with twins in many parts of the country. What the students told Walusa is a widespread myth. The other is that you get the condition if you cheat on your woman with whom you have twins. The condition is believed to have spiritual roots and its treatment is always restricted to traditional medicine and soothsaying.

Science behind vitiligo
But there is a scientific explanation for the condition. Vitiligo happens when the cells that produce melanin malfunction and stop creating it. Melanin is the colouring substance in the skin. When this happens, the skin loses its colour and tends to whiteness. Pop legend Michael Jackson is believed to have suffered it, which is believed to have caused his face to turn white.

Science is still failing to know why these cells stop producing melanin but what is known is that some people are genetically predisposed to suffer from it. A few people might develop it after a terrible accident that causes the skin cells to malfunction.
When Walusa came home for the school holidays, more herbs were waiting for her.

When another spot appeared on Walusa’s chest, her mother decided it was high time they looked for a skin specialist. The specialist started by explaining that the condition wouldn’t affect her health at all, so she had nothing to worry about, except maybe a lot of stares wherever she went. He comforted her that if she was one of the lucky few it would heal by itself, but the frustrating news was that vitiligo has no cure and that one has to learn to live with it.

Making decisions
The two ladies left the doctor with two opposing mindsets. While Walusa returned home with a sense of resignation, her mother returned home in battle mode. She didn’t want to believe that her young daughter was destined to live her life with patches on her face. She was determined to go to the ends of the earth if that’s where she’d find the cure and Walusa was more than expected to tag along.

This meant more herbs both for drinking and for smearing on her body. But the condition was not reacting as hoped to anything. At the end of the first year, Walusa’s hands were covered in white spots. At the insistence of her caring mother, she was allowed to become a day-scholar just so she could step up the treatment to a more rigorous regimen.
Day and night Walusa drank herbs and covered her body with concoctions. Because her body was always covered in herbs, Walusa was always in a sweater and extra long stockings no matter how hot the day got. Any tricks and antics that anyone suggested had to be given a try.

The two visited all the powerful prophets in the country, all of whom prophesied that by this time next year Walusa would be back to her original skin colour. No amount of money was spared in tithes and offerings but the condition wouldn’t stop spreading.
While the teenager was going through the lowest time of her life, she was surprised by a love interest. A classmate asked to be her date during the senior four leavers’ party and that was shocking to her.

By now her arms were all covered in spots which meant that she could not put on a dress that would leave her arms bare. However, what mattered was that a boy wanted her hand in the dance.
Just like that, the focus on her spots diminished greatly and she attended the party.

Her mother never lost hope. She made it her occupation to consult endlessly in search of a solution for her daughter. Herbs were dumped for modern medicine and picked up again. No amount cajoling would make Walusa take any more treatment for vitiligo, but that didn’t mean that she had finally accepted her fate. She turned to God.
God answered her prayer. Instead of turning her back to black, God transformed Walusa into a white.

About vitiligo
Vitiligo occurs when pigment-producing cells die or stop functioning. Loss of skin colour can affect any part of the body, including the mouth, hair and eyes. It may be more noticeable in people with darker skin.