Woman living with vitiligo wants to start support group

After years of fighting to regain her pigment, 30-year-old Shantol Morgan-Forrester, who learned to love herself with vitiligo, is now on a mission to raise awareness and establish a support group so that other Jamaicans with the condition do not have to suffer in silence or alone.

Although yesterday was officially World Vitiligo Day, over the weekend, Morgan-Forrester travelled to the annual World Vitiligo Day Conference in the US. There, she got the opportunity to meet almost 500 people living with vitiligo.

"I felt special because being the only Jamaican there, I got to represent us, and I also got to advocate for us and seek support from the Global Vitiligo Foundation to help in Jamaica and that felt amazing," Morgan-Forrester said. Still, despite the grand opportunity, Morgan-Forrester was disheartened that more Jamaicans did not have access to the information or the support available internationally.

"What people need to understand is that vitiligo doesn't just affect us physically, it affects us mentally as well," she said, adding that there is currently only one vitiligo support group in the Caribbean, in St Martin.

"When I was diagnosed, I was so disappointed that I had to get support outside of Jamaica even though this condition has been around for a long while. And even when I went to the dermatologist and the dermatologist said 'Hey, you have vitiligo', they could not refer me to any form of support group," she recalled.

She also explained that a support group is needed because most people living with the condition are discriminated against leading to them feeling ashamed and pulling away from the wider society.

"A parent stopped me a few months ago and told me that every day her daughter comes home crying because she is being bullied in school. This child is five years old," Morgan-Forrester said.

"There are people who are suicidal because of it. There are people out there who cut their skin because they just don't want it, and they're wondering 'Why did this happen to me'? The reality is doctors don't know the link. They don't know the cause of it and there is no cure, so there needs to be a safe space where people with vitiligo can get help and support," she added.

Morgan-Forrester is also encouraging other Jamaicans living with vitiligo to stop hiding in the shadows.

"I cannot have a support group by myself, I cannot make a difference by myself. We need more people to come on board. Yes, I know it's hard to accept, and yes, I know it's hard to love the changes. But vitiligo makes us special and it is nothing to be ashamed of," Morgan-Forrester said.