Albinism.org defines albinism as an "inherited genetic condition that reduces the amount of melanin pigment formed in the skin, hair and/or eyes." It's a condition that affects as many as 1 in 3,000 people in countries outside of the U.S., according to albinism.org. But for Connie Chiu, who grew up in Hong Kong, finding those with similar traits was difficult; in the U.S. the occurrence is much lower, affecting approximately 1 in 20,000 people.
"I'm a very small minority, looking the way I did," she tells Allure. "I think it took quite some time before I realized I looked different."
Although her parents told her at a young age that she was "different," with "light-sensitive" skin and eyes, her family vowed to never treat her any differently. Her siblings often helped Chiu live with her condition by offering to assist with mindless tasks, such as walking on the sunny side of the street and giving her the shady spot. "I remember one day, my sisters came from school, and they were very excited: 'We saw someone! A girl who looked just like you,'" she recounted.
After discovering another woman with albinism in Hong Kong—someone who walks around outside with confidence, as Chiu describes—Chiu gained the courage to follow suit. "Just knowing this person's walking out and about and seemed to be quite independent—that gave me the impression that she's not hiding," Chiu says.
"She is living life if she is out there, looking like me, and is OK. Then I will be this person as well. I will also be happy and independent and a person in my own right."
Source: ALLURE
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