Sabrina embraces rare skin conditions

For the majority of her 23 years on earth, Sabrina Lindsay said she has been bullied constantly because of her skin conditions.

So bad was the taunting that she suffered from low self-esteem, which affected her schoolwork in primary and high school. But, Lindsay isn't feeling sorry for herself any more and currently uses her TikTok account to bring awareness to her conditions and motivate others.

"Take time out and accept yourself and whatever it is that you are battling with ... . You are going to have downtimes but lock the negativity out of your head and love yourself and shine," she said.

Lindsay suffers from hyperkeratosis and Vohwinkel syndrome. The former is a condition that occurs when a person's skin becomes thicker than usual in certain places. Symptoms include calluses, corns and eczema. People with the 'classic form' of Vohwinkel syndrome generally have honeycomb-patterned calluses on their palms and soles and constricting bands of tissue on the fingers and toes which can cause amputation. The pinky finger on Lindsay's left hand has been amputated.

She said her father and stepmother told her that shortly before she was two years old, a pimple developed on her hand. Following unsuccessful trips to the Cornwall Regional and Mandeville Regional hospitals, the Bustamante Hospital for Children diagnosed her condition.

"At the time there wasn't a lot of info on my sickness so they had to do a lot of research, I was told. By age three they had began doing surgeries on my hands and by the time I was five, I did at least eight operations. Surgeries were done on my hand middle and they did skin grafting and that came out good, but they didn't do any on my fingers. They tried to treat my fingers but the things would just keep coming back," Lindsay explained.

Lindsay was in and out of the hospital for months until her teenage years. But life at Albert Town Primary and Troy High schools was very rough as students constantly bullied her.

"I didn't do well academically in primary school and I didn't pass GSAT [the high school entrance exam at the time] either. I went to Troy High School and I was placed in the lowest seventh grade. I had to do a guidance test that has to do with my self-esteem and I failed that, and I had to see the guidance counsellor occasionally," she said.

Lindsay said that she focused on her work, and improved her grades. But stigma remained.

"There were about 10 taxi drivers in the community where I lived at the time, but most of them refused to carry me because of my sickness. They said no one wanted to drive with me if they were taking me," Lindsay added.

Two years ago, Lindsay was diagnosed with keratoconus, a condition which affects the cornea's structure, and has partially lost vision in her left eye.

"The vision is extremely blurry. I am going to need surgery and that will cost $550,000 and I am supposed to return in nine months' time, but I really don't have the funds to do it. I would appreciate if anyone could assist me with this," she said.

Lindsay, who currently has more than 20,000 followers on TikTok, said she has been on the platform for years but kept her conditions a secret. However, two years ago, users were encouraged to show their disability and one of her friends boosted her to highlight hers. She admitted she was scared to see the public's reaction.

"I went on and I was viral, and the comments were positive and that made me feel better. Since then, I have talked openly about my condition," she said. Currently, Lindsay babysits her sister's child to earn an income but wants to go into fashion designing.

"I like everything that has to do with cosmetics and I can do hair as well. It's hard to branch off into the working world because people just look at me and think I can't do anything," she said. Lindsay also hopes to achieve level 3 certification in housekeeping at HEART/NSTA Trust.