Many people enjoy taking pictures of their newborn babies and sharing them with others. Patricia Williams was no exception to this. She lovingly photographed her son. But when she tried to share his photos with others, she faced an unpleasant surprise.
The Story of Redd and Rockwell – Living with Albinism
In 2012, Patricia’s son Redd was born. The little boy was born with white hair, but it wasn’t until he was two months old that his mother began to notice different things about him.
The child’s eyes moved back and forth, and when her husband Dale researched the reason for this on Google, he made a shocking discovery; it was a symptom commonly associated with albinism. Patricia had not even heard the term, and was skeptical, but the little boy exhibited all the signs of albinism; pale skin, white hair, and ‘following’ eyes.
The next step the couple took was to meet with an optometrist and genetic specialists to help with an official diagnosis. It was made official; Redd had oculocutaneous albinism type one (OCA1), a condition that affects 1 in 17,000 people worldwide.
Patricia remembered the excitement the hospital staff had when Redd was born, everyone wanted to see the baby born with white hair and blue eyes. But at that moment, Patricia didn’t exactly blink her eyes because she, her husband, and her firstborn son Gage all had blonde hair.
She recalled how a month after bringing Redd home, she noticed that his hair was so white it glistened in the sun. And even if she tried to block his eyes, they would follow and he wouldn’t turn away. His eyes were also so blue that they sparkled red in certain light.
Patricia was convinced that her son would outgrow these characteristics, but it wasn’t until her second son was born with the same condition that she realized it was a lifelong thing.
In February 2018, Rockwell was born with the same condition as his older brother. The newborn images of the little boy were stolen and turned into cruel memes by people on social media.
Redd had also faced bullying at school, with children laughing at him for looking different. His older brother Gage became protective of him because of it. But when Rockwell was born, the family already knew a lot about albinism and were fully prepared. But what they were not prepared for was for their son’s photos to be turned into a meme.
Initially, Dale and Patricia reached out to everyone sharing the image to remove it, but they soon realized it was an impossible task and decided to just ignore the whole thing.
They decided to become advocates to raise awareness about the condition so that children with it would not be bullied for being different. When Redd’s albinism was confirmed by professionals, Patricia was very upset.
She worried about how the child would be treated in life because he was different and how their family dynamics would change with a child who could easily burn and practically be blind.
After her son’s images became a viral meme, she gained many followers. Soon she received questions about why her son looked the way he did and it dawned on her; people knew nothing about albinism.
She realized that what people knew about albinism came from obscure films with little representation. So she thought she had a unique opportunity; to spread awareness about albinism.
Redd underwent eye surgery to correct his strabismus and switched from a private school for blind children to a public school. The surgery was a brilliant decision for the family, as it helped Redd immensely.
They opted for the surgery instead of Redd wearing an eye patch, as it would make the child stand out even more and receive unwanted attention. Now, as Redd grew older, his friends noticed his ‘differences’ less and less.
All they knew was that Redd needed a hat, dark sunglasses, and sunscreen to play outside, but otherwise he could do everything any other child could. And just as Redd thrived, so did his little brother Rockwell.
On April 28, 2023, Patricia shared a video of Rockwell from his school’s ‘Western Day’. This time, the little boy received a lot of love and appreciation on social media. People called the little boy ‘adorable’ and ‘lovely’.
Patricia explained how there was a major misconception that people with albinism have red eyes. She said they tend to have light blue eyes because their eyes lack pigment.
The boys are now thriving and living their best lives!
We are so happy for this amazing family. Share this incredible story with your Facebook friends. Everyone will surely appreciate it!
