Many parents enjoy showing adorable photos of their newborns to friends and family. This also happened to Patricia Williams.
She took pictures of her son with tenderness. But when she wanted to show her collection of photos to her friends, she got an unpleasant surprise.
When Dale looked at why her baby’s eyes were darting from side to side, she discovered something shocking: it was a typical indicator of albinism.
Patricia was doubtful because she had never heard of the term, but the child certainly showed the symptoms of albinism, such as extremely fair skin, white hair and eyes that were deviated.
The couple then consulted an optician and a geneticist for a more definitive diagnosis.
Oculocutaneous albinism type 1 (OCA1), which affects 1 in 17,000 people worldwide, was confirmed as Redd’s diagnosis.
Patricia recalls the impatient anticipation of hospital staff at Redd’s birth because of his unusual white hair and blue eyes.
Patricia, her husband and her firstborn, Gage, were blonde, so she was unfazed.
Redd’s hair was so white it shone in the sunlight, she recalls thinking a month after bringing him home.
Though she tried to shield herself from his gaze, he continued to follow her.
Her eyes were a striking shade of blue, bordering on red in some lights.