Latin American from California Edith Garcia and her husband Raul waited nine months for the birth of their daughter. But when the baby was born, the couple was so amazed that they did not immediately believe that this was their child, writes The Sun. In June 2014, the girl gave birth to tiny Tatyana, who immediately struck her parents with blond hair and ivory skin.
At first, the girl did not understand what was happening, because she and her husband were both dark-haired, brown-eyed Hispanics, so in the early days, Edith did not even believe that she was seeing her child in front of her.
When Tatyana was born, all I saw was a very fair-skinned girl with very blond hair. I didn’t know what to think, said Edith. “I looked at my husband for a split second and thought, ‘What has he done?’ But then I realized that it doesn’t work that way.
I questioned even my own actions. Tatyana was not like any of us, she looked incredible. Personally, I now think that this is a funny situation, because I know that none of us would definitely do anything wrong. But at the same time, we see before us a blond child in a completely brown American family. Surprised not only by others, but also by ourselves.
Neither parent knew they carried the albinism gene. Albinism is a condition of the human body characterized by the absence of pigmentation in the skin, hair and eyes. Often this leads to poor vision, as well as involuntary eye movements and increased sensitivity to light. It often happens that parents are not exposed to the gene, but they can pass it on to their children.
After the birth of Tatyana, my mother asked my grandfather if he knew any of the albino relatives, and he confirmed that there were such, but at least five generations ago, Edith said. – On the part of my husband, there were also very distant relatives with albinism, which he did not even suspect.
Now parents are already accustomed to the unusual appearance of their daughter, and the baby herself is not afraid of the emotional reaction of passers-by.
Tatyana knows that she is special. She’s used to getting attention from strangers and doesn’t seem to mind it at all. People say that her hair is gray, but she is not offended. I always explain to her that she is special, and it is very important for me that she understands this.
Tatyana was born the day before National Albinism Awareness Day, which falls on June 13th.
Ironically, Tatiana was born the day before National Albinism Awareness Day, which falls on June 13th. Edith understands that now her daughter’s peers, who are only three years old, do not fully understand why the girl looks different from them, but she hopes that this will not become a problem.
Kids do not understand what albinism is, but I am sure that over time Tatiana and the manuals will help them understand what is what.
Edith says that reading about other people’s experiences with albinism has helped her understand her daughter’s condition, and now she wants to raise awareness of albinism among others.
I quickly realized that albinism is not very common among us, and few people, including myself, knew about it. I read and saw some heartbreaking things about people with albinism, and that’s when I realized that this situation needs to be changed. I will do everything that depends on me.