A Guiding Star

Even my peers saw me as a different kid but that's because they were not well informed. You see, people don't understand that albinism is not a sickness, most people believe that albinism is dangerous and with this mindset, our society crumbled but you know what; it's not always about what they think of you or what they see when they look at you.

My name is Francis and this is my story.

I was the only kid living with albinism in our neighbourhood and it wasn't easy for me growing up among kids that do not understand who I am. I was an object of ridicule and a time came when going out from our house and even to go to school became my greatest nightmare but thanks to my older brother and my parents who guided and encouraged me in every way one needed guidance and encouragement but although they tried to be there for me; sometimes I find myself unlucky.

Albinism to some people is a curse and some parents treat their children living with albinism different, believe me as a kid, I once heard one of my mother's friends telling my mother that she regret giving birth to Mike. What was Mike's crime? What would your own child do to you as a mother to make you regret having the child? A lot of situations will surely make a mother think this way but in Mike's case; his crime was being born with albinism. I was five but I understood the challenges ahead because my parents and brother would not be there with me forever.

Things were not that easy as I grew older but i realised that I needed to take charge of my life and that was exactly what I did but there was a heavy prize.

The ridicule I faced in the hands of my peers made me very strong as I grew older. Although my mother tried her best to help me accept myself the way I am and i did just that so whenever someone stared at me, I made sure that i stared right back at that person and when someone say anything negative about me, I simply try to educate the person about albinism.

Albinism is not a disease, it's not a sickness. I don't mean to be negative but all the people that frown at people living with albinism would choose to live and dine with an albino instead of live and dine with a person suffering from ebola. So if there is a condition of acceptance then why do you frown at what you do not know about.

Albinism is simply a genetic disorder in humans characterised by little or no melanin production. Melanin is what determines skin colors in human that is why we have white and black skin colors but in the case of people living with albinism, they lack the needed ratio of melanin. The two major problems about albinism is that the sun affects albinos more than people with enough melanin and people living with albinism experience poor vision in many cases but apart from that, albinos are like every other human.

No matter how complex a situation might be, I always expressed myself and this helped me to develop my skill in the field. In fact I was the best defender in the neighbourhood. And I went on to prove that I am a special child in the classroom too then came the moment that changed me forever.

One of my favorite subjects in primary school was mathematics so when I got into secondary school, I took maths very serious. I was the best science student and the overall best maths student in the state but what surprised me was that alot of people even the principal of our school was surprised about my ability to tackle maths. I could still recall one incident with the school principal; he shook my hand that day and asked me how I am able to solve maths because looking at me, he felt that there is nothing up in my head.

To him and his likes being an albino limits one's academic performance but I didn't have to research about great people living with albinism to quench the principals curiosity because the example was right in his school. Anyway, it didn't take me time to climb to the rank of the most popular student in the school and this wasn't because of my skin condition but because of the fact that I won our school the first national medal on maths competition. And later became the senior prefect of the school.

You see, I jumped three classes in the primary school so it would amaze you to know that I was one class ahead of my own immediate elder brother in secondary school, he was also a bright student but my brain was hot. One of my favorite teachers in the school was our class form master who was also our physics teacher, he was the one that advised me to enter for the science competition and I did knowing very well that I would do well so it wasn't a surprise when the result was announced and I scored above average.

Emerging the best science student and winning that competition changed my life but what became my inspiration was meeting Dr Mark one of the organisers of the science competition. I never knew that white people also suffer from albinism but Dr Mark was also an albino and he chose to meet me in person and that meeting changed my life forever.

The discrimination towards people living with albinism is not new in the society and Dr Mark heads a foundation that fights for the rights of people living with albinism. He understood my dreams and vowed to make sure that I get all the needed support to become a useful element in the society. He told me something that happened to him one time that actually motivated him in life. He told me that his would be first employer rejected him because he was an albino and that motivated him in life because he went into private practise afterwards and was able to set up his own private hospital.

The only difference between Europe and Africa is that there is a belief in so many African countries that the body parts of people living with albinism makes charms effective, witch doctors hunt albinos to use their body parts to fortify people seeking extra ordinary powers, some believe that mutilating albinos attracts wealth and there is also a belief that the body parts of albinos are medicinal and can be used to treat various diseases.

People living with albinism are vulnerable to these evil minded individuals all over Africa and the government of most nations where there have been known attacks on albinos are trying to put measures in place to protect people living with albinism and that is what Dr Mark and the albino foundation are working on but although most of us are lucky to be alive, a good number of people living with albinism has not been so lucky especially in countries like Tanzania, Cameroon, Uganda and South Africa.

Emerging as the best science student brought me to the forefront of the albino foundation and like Dr Mark, I understood the task ahead of me. Dr Mark believe soundly in my potentials and academic brilliance so he single handedly decided to tap into my excellence by sending me overseas to acquire a better education and that became a powerful tool for me.

Life is never a bed of roses but with determination and self belief, one can actually climb any mountain. We all need people to push us and my pusher was Dr. Mark. A lot of people felt that he helped me secured admission in England because I am an albino but honestly what he did for me has nothing to do with albinism rather he saw a bright mind and decided to do the needful and that is what so many people who are opportune in life fail to understand. They fail to understand that human investment worth more than buying expensive cars and throwing expensive parties.

I am happy that I was born an albino not because of the good things that happened to me but because my mother made me to understand at a very early age that I am special. She had her way into me and I trusted her; who wouldn't trust his or her own mother? She started calling me all the funny names people call albinos and as long as I was okay with that, I never got angry when someone else called me yellow pawpaw or white apple. As I progressed in life, all the experiences I had while growing up became what would fashion the way I interact with people.

One other person apart from Dr Mark, my parents and my elder brother who meant more than the World to me is Nancy. Just like the saying that there is someone for everyone, that special someone who would take my breath away and eventually became a guiding star in my life showed up and everything about me became perfect. There is this gospel song that goes this way... 'You are greater yes you are, mighty God, everything written about you is great'. Well she has her own version...

' You are handsome oh my Francis; yes you are, everything about you is sweet, you are blessed, and you are loved; everything about you is sweet. You came into my life, you shined like a star, you broke the walls of my heart and I will love you now and always. Everything about you is sweet.

Albinism is not a sickness, stop the discrimination against albinos.