Turning White by Lee Thomas - Essay Example

Argumentative paper (Turning White by Lee Thomas) Introduction Lee Thomas is an reporter, and four-time Emmy Award-winning television anchor. Lee’s father and mother are a military officer and a nurse assistant respectively. He currently stays in Detroit and has a first-rate relation with his stars as they keep in touch on a regular basis. He is a holder of a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Speech Communications, which he got from George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. Lee’s profession was doing well until he noticed some patches on his scalp. With time, the patches spread to half of his face, body and even arms. He visited a dermatologist who diagnosed him with Vitiligo in 1996, a skin disorder that affects 40-50 million people in the world. Initially, Lee kept his Vitiligo status a secret but later decided to disclose it which led to the people giving him much attention. As an anchor, he has worked for the national television show Channel One; WABC 7 Eyewitness News in New York City; and WJBK Fox 2 News in Detroit. He also works for Fox 2 in the morning in Detroit on a daily basis. What is Vitiligo? It refers to a circumstance wherein the skin turns white as a result of the loss of pigment from the melanocytes, which are cells that create the pigment melanin that gives color to the skin. In this condition, the melanocytes are destroyed leaving patches of skin and sometimes the hair growing on the affected area also turns white. The symptoms are white patches are more commonly found on sun exposed areas of the body including hands, feet, arms, face, and lips. Therefore, individuals suffering from Vitiligo ought to avoid exposing their skin to the sun. The causes are unfamiliar and not curable, but there are ways of managing it (Christian, pg 24). TURNING WHITE –LEE THOMAS In the United States, 1 to 2 million people suffering from Vitiligo, in accordance with the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and skin diseases (Christian, page 22). Lee Thomas aspired being on television when he was five years old, and this was after he saw Rodney Allen Rippy doing burger commercials and he decided to work hard to achieve his dreams. Thomas after knowing that he suffered from Vitiligo did not let the condition be in command of his life but decided to deal with it positively. He embarked on spreading hope and motivation, which he did by creating a support group which was named “Turning White.” He made the meetings open to all individuals suffering from Vitiligo and their relatives. Last September, he started a support group at Henry Ford Hospital. Being a TV character helped a great deal in making people aware of the disorder and how to manage it. In my opinion, this was a good idea as it encouraged the victims to discuss openly the problems they face and gain emotional support, get access to appropriate medical experts and even to the latest information on the treatment of the disorder. One of Lee’s patients introduced him to some curative make up line. The patient had an intention of helping several individuals suffering from the disorder conceal their various skin conditions. Lee decided to use it when on camera. He even supports it claiming that it aids the victims in reclaiming their self-respect to face the world with transformed sense of confidence. In my perspective, this is not worthwhile as it shows that the person who uses the line does not live positively with the disorder. I also feel that the make up may in some way increase the progression of the disorder and therefore, strongly oppose this. Thomas Lee also wrote the book by the name, Turning White: A memoir of change, which takes in hand his private and emotional confronts with having the disorder (Christian, pg 24). There is a time Thomas would go to work and come home. However, now he is going everywhere and only wears make up when at work. This was after he thought about it and decided to deal with the situation accordingly and not give up whatever the situation he underwent. He decided to start going outside, play basket ball and continue with other activities he used to do before since the condition had no cure hence that was the best way to cope with it. He even narrates that his acceptance did not happen over a night, however, he heartens other victims of Vitiligo to keep faith (Christian, pg 25). In my opinion, this is a tremendous inspiration to the victims of this disorder. This gives them much encouragement and even ways to manage the disorder. This also inspires the victims that being with the disease should not stop them from doing their daily routine work or even other activities they used to do before. Lee also tells of his encounters with a little girl who saw his hands and ran away screaming. This left him imagining how worse it could have been if the girl saw his face. He also says that the experience made him stay indoors for a number of weeks. In my view, this shows that the little girl might have been afraid of him thinking that the disorder was contagious which is not true since one cannot get it from another person. It cannot be transmitted by means of fluid transfer, any form of physical contact or even sharing of individual items. Similarly, Michael Jackson suffered from Vitiligo; still people believed that he used bleaching creams to enable him turn white. Michael Jackson, on the other hand, claimed that he was proud to be black and that people only accused him of bleaching (Walker, page 50). Anyone who suffered from this disorder had three alternatives: using make up, doing nothing about it and bleaching the skin, so all looked alike. Individuals suffering from Vitiligo on half of their body can go for depigmentation, an expensive treatment that lightened all the skin on the rest of the body to match the parts that are already white (Christian, pg 24). This is the third option as indicated above. I think the victims should just accept living with the disorder positively and not to try out the depigmentation as this shows that the individual does not appreciate his or her natural body color regardless of the disorder. Myths about Vitiligo There are various mistaken beliefs about the causes of Vitiligo. As some people see that it is a punishment for doing wrong, other false notions imply some types of deodorant set out Vitiligo or that one can get it by hitting dogs with white patches on their head. Ideas like these are exclusively unjustified and come up as a result of incredulousness of the disease. In my opinion, as per research done, it the damage of melanocytes that causes the disorder, the pigment that produces cells of the skin. When they stop working, no pigment is produced and this leads to the skin developing white patches. This is a biological process and is exclusively not related to the nature of one’s behavior. Other individuals consider feeding on milk or other foods that are white to be a cause of Vitiligo and some by sour foods. As a matter of fact, Vitiligo has not been shown to have any link with diet. This implies that not taking particular foods will totally have no effect on the progression of the condition. Some believe that individuals suffering from Vitiligo are somehow poorer in their physical/ mental abilities. Such myths include notions that they are brainless academically disabled or that their bodies are unhealthful and dysfunctional. This disorder is in any way linked to the level of an individual’s intelligence. It does not affect the brain, or any other area of the body; it solely affects the skin. For instance, Lee Thomas was an intelligent man who after accepting his condition, did his work as an anchor so well and even helped the rest of the society suffering from the disorder in ways to help manage it. Some think Vitiligo is infectious and that the victims should be avoided yet it is not contagious hence one cannot get it from another person. It cannot be transmitted by means of fluid transfer or even sharing of individual items. Conclusion In a good number of societies around the world, there is a strong stigma connected to Vitiligo and false beliefs triumph. I hope that by enlightening people about the disorder, people with the knowledge will be able to begin to change the public awareness. In an ideal world, this will lead to a better understanding and greater acceptance of individuals dealing with the condition. As we can see, Thomas Lee even said that Vitiligo was once his enemy but now he has a different perspective of it and decided to cope with it as it has no cure and living negatively with it was just going to spoil his life and not help him in any way. I therefore advise the victims to live with it positively just like Lee Thomas and they will find life interesting just as before. Work cited Walker, J M. Blueprints of Sir Michael. Bloomington, Ind: Authorhouse, 2010. Print. Christian, Margena A. "Detroit TV newscaster tells why 'turning White' can't steal his dream. (LABOR)(Lee Thomas)." Jet 7 Jan. 2008: 22-25. Print. Read More