Many parents want to photograph their newborn children and share those images with others. Patricia Williams was the same in this regard. She captured a loving image of her son. She tried to share his photos with others, but she got a bad surprise.
Patricia’s son Redd was born in 2012. The young boy was born with white hair, but his mother didn’t become aware of any other features until he was two months old.
When her husband Dale decided to look into why the infant’s eyes were moving side to side, he was shocked to discover that it was a symptom frequently linked to albinism. Patricia was skeptical because she had never even heard the word “albinism” before, but the young boy had all the signs of the condition, including pale skin, white hair, and tracking eyes.
The couple then sought a formal diagnosis from a geneticist and an optometrist. Redd was found to have Oculocutaneous Albinism Type 1 (OCA1), a condition that affects 1 in 17,000 people worldwide.
Patricia recalls the anticipation among hospital staff members when Redd was born, eager to meet the newborn with white hair and blue eyes. Patricia didn’t even flinch at the time because she, her husband, and her firstborn son, Gage, all had blonde hair.
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. In 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.
As a result of his unique appearance, Redd had also experienced bullying in school. Because of this, his older brother Gage began to keep an eye on him. Rockwell’s parents, on the other hand, were completely ready because they were knowledgeable about albinism at the time of his birth. They did not, however, foresee the images of their young son going viral.
Initially, Dale and Patricia tried to convince everyone who had shared the image to remove it, but they quickly realized that this was impossible and decided to disregard the situation altogether.
They made the decision to become advocates for raising awareness of the issue in order to stop bullying of children 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 the significance of Rockwell’s focus. She remarks, “It’s very unusual to see a baby with white hair, and Rockwell’s hair sticks straight up, so it’s very noticeable. “.
As images of her son turned into a well-liked meme, she grew a sizable fan base. As questions about her son’s appearance started to come in, she soon realized that not many people were familiar with albinism.
She was aware that most people’s knowledge of albinism was derived from obscure movies with subpar representation. She felt she had a unique opportunity to spread knowledge about albinism.
After undergoing eye surgery to treat his strabismus, Redd switched from a special school for blind kids to a public school. Given that the procedure helped Redd, the family made a wise decision to have it.
They decided against giving Redd an eye patch because they believed it would draw attention to the kid and make him stand out even more. As Redd grew older, his “differences” became less and less noticeable to his friends.
Redd was 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. His younger brother Rockwell also succeeded, just like Redd.
Rockwell can be seen in a clip Patricia shared from his school’s “Western Day” on April 28, 2023. The young person this time around received a lot of love and support on social media. 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, she claimed, because their eyes are colorless.
The boys are doing great these days and enjoying themselves to the fullest!
