With those white patches on his hands and cheeks, my friend was, how should I say, not normal. Most students shunned him. He was a social outcast, of sort. I cannot recall seeing him at any of our gatherings…you know… parties, campings etc.
He was a bright student but was reclusive because of the condition, sopak as we know it in Malay. He didn't mix around much, avoided crowd. Surely he was ashamed of his condition. Depressed, his results were in the red zone, his studies were effected, future doomed. We were of not much help either. We didn’t know what to do to lift his spirit because we knew next to nothing about the condition. He didn’t do well in school and after Form 5, returned to his kampung in Baling to help his father tap rubber.
We wrote to each other a few years after school. Then his letters stopped coming. I lost touch with him thereafter, until I was posted to Alor Setar. I was on an assignment in Baling Town one day in late 1990s, covering the visit of former prime minister Datuk Seri (now Tun) Dr Mahathir Mohamad to the district, when I noticed a familiar face in the crowd. It was him, my long lost friend, standing a distance away from the rest. I approached him, reminded him of who I was, and saw his face lit up.
After completing my work, we went for a drink and shared our life stories. It saddened me to find out that my friend was still very much a loner. He still had the condition, which by then, had spread to most of his face and body. Poor him.
What is this condition called vitiligo? According to Wikipedia, vitiligo or leukoderma is a chronic skin disease that causes loss of pigment, resulting in irregular pale patches of skin. The precise cause of vitiligo is complex and not fully understood. There is some evidence suggesting it is caused by a combination of auto-immune, genetic, and environmental factors. The population incidence worldwide is considered to be between 1% and 2%.
Half of people with vitiligo develop patches of de-pigmented skin appearing on extremities before their 20s. The patches may grow, shrink, or remain constant in size. Patches often occur symmetrically across both sides on the body. Occasionally small areas may repigment as they are recolonised by melanocytes.
The location of vitiligo affected skin changes over time, with some patches re-pigmenting and others becoming affected.
Vitiligo may also be caused by stress that affects the immune system, leading the body to react and start eliminating skin pigment.
Vitiligo on the scalp may affect the color of the hair (though not always), leaving white patches or streaks. It will similarly affect facial and body hair.
Some symptoms are:
- white patches on the skin, including the face, limbs, torso, and groin
- purple or golden brown patches on mucous membranes and around the eyes, nostrils, and mouth;
- premature graying of hair;
- sun sensitivity
Vitiligo is associated with autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, commonly thyroid overexpression and underexpression.
Vitiligo can have a significant effect on the psychological well being of the patient. This is especially true for darker skinned patients as the contrast between pigmented and depigmented skin can be quite drastic.
In some cultures there is a stigma attached to having vitiligo. Those affected with the condition are sometimes thought to be evil or diseased and are sometimes shunned by others in the community. People with vitiligo may feel depressed because of this stigma
There are a few famous people inflicted with this skin disorder, among them:
- Amitabh Bachchan, Leading Bollywood Celebrity, diagnosed with the condition in the 1980s. In fact the patches on the hand are quite visible in a number of movies, such as Agneepath.
- Michael Jackson, revealed he suffers during an interview on the The Oprah Winfrey Show in 1993, after being diagnosed in the early 1980s.
Why does this concern me? As a matter of fact, it does concern me, my family alot….specifically my son, Adil or Patpat, as we affectionately call him.
My wife and I thought a white spot on his right cheek, under his eye was just a fungus infection...panau, in Malay. Took him to the doctor, who gave creams to apply but the white spot didn’t vanish. Instead, it grew bigger to about the size of a 20 sen coin! Another spot also appeared at the corner of his right eye, at the end of the eyebrow.
A couple of months later, we decided to take him to a dermatologist. It was then we found out that stubborn white spot was actually vitiligo. Instantly, I remembered my friend in Baling and of his “sufferings”. It shudders me to think of the emotional effect this condition would have on my son. Like how it ruined my friend's life!
Patpat is on medication now and the spot, I observed, is fading. It is not as pale as before. We are praying for the best and InsyaAllah, won’t give up finding the cure for him, no matter how much it will cost us as long as we can spare him from the embarrassment.
We earnestly hope Patpat will lead a normal life, grow up happy, smart, well liked by all and achieve his ambition of becoming a neurosurgeon, that is if he fails to become a cardiologist. That was what he told me. ("I want to save lives. Make lots of money and drive a Ferrari. I'll buy you a BMW convertible, Pa," said Patpat of his dream job. Kids nowadays! When I was small, I only wanted to drive a bus...). Neurosurgeon, cardiologist, scientist, pilot, lawyer, teacher, soldier, entrepreneur...whatever, I just want him to be healthy and happy.
That reminds me..I must do something about that Playstation game!!!
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