Black TV reporter with vitiligo: turns white on screen

[HWBL]

Source: USA Today

Reporter battles disorder turning him white - USATODAY.com

Reporter battles disorder turning him white

By Corey Williams, Associated Press
DETROIT — Lee Thomas' skin is betraying him.
His once brown, even complexion is now mottled with pale patches around
his eyes and mouth, along his nose and on his ears; his arms, shoulders
and chest are speckled and blotched.

"I'm a black man turning white on television and people can see it," says
Thomas, an anchor and entertainment reporter for the local Fox
Broadcasting Company affiliate. "If you've watched me over the years,
you've seen my hands completely change from brown to white."

Thomas has vitiligo, a disorder in which pigment-making cells are destroyed.
White patches appear on different parts of the body, tissues in the mouth
and nose, and the retina.

"There is no cause. There is no cure, and it's very random," Thomas says.
"I could turn all the way white or mostly white."



As many as 65 million people worldwide have the disorder, including up to
2 million in the United States.

Few people, outside medical professionals and those with the disease, had
heard the term "vitiligo" until Michael Jackson revealed in the early 1990s
that the disorder was behind his skin turning brown to white.

It's not fatal, but experts say vitiligo robs people of self-confidence, evokes
ridicule and unpleasant stares, and pushes some into unforced seclusion.

The 40-year-old Thomas says that's not where the disorder needs to be.
He openly talks about vitiligo and how it has affected his life and career,
and has written a book about his journey titled Turning White: A Memoir
of Change. Along the way, Thomas says he's met others with the disorder
and has become a celebrity spokesman for the Columbus, Ohio-based
National Vitiligo Foundation.

Vitiligo attacks the soul and psyche, foundation executive director Robert
Haas says.

"When was the last time you saw someone with vitiligo handling your food?
It is the public's image that it is some leprosy-type of disease," he says.
"A lot of folks feel this disease has trapped them and kept them away from
their life goals."

That was Thomas' fear.

He uses a combination of creams and makeup to cover the growing patches
of skin — which he calls devoid of color — on his face, hands and arms.
Viewers, co-workers and, for years, his basketball buddies, were none the
wiser.

Only family members and those closest to him knew the secret he had kept
since age 25.

Thomas first noticed a change after getting a haircut while working in
Louisville He looked in a mirror and thought the barber had nicked him. A
closer look revealed a pale spot, about the size of a quarter.

"I got two more on the other side of my scalp, on my hand and one in the
corner of my mouth," he recalls in an interview from the station's
studio. "That's when I went to the doctor and got diagnosed."

He didn't let it slow down his blossoming career. From Louisville, he soon
landed at WABC in New York for three years beginning in 1994. After a
short freelancing stint in Los Angeles, Thomas found his way to WJBK in
Detroit in 1997. He has carved a niche in the Motor City market with his
quirky, upbeat and humorous reporting style; his confidence, constant
smile and positive air on the set mirrors his demeanor off the set as well.

Even though Thomas uses makeup to conceal his skin discoloration, he
realized the vitiligo was becoming more obvious when he couldn't hide it
from a preschooler during a story about a playground. His two-toned
hands frightened the girl, who began to cry.

"I thought my career was over," says the Emmy award winner who routinely
travels to Hollywood for one-on-one interviews with celebrities including Will
Smith, Tom Cruise and Halle Berry.

So he gathered himself one day and approached the station's news director,
prepared to walk away from television.

"She said, 'Let's just see what happens,"' Thomas recalls. "As it got worse,
she kept encouraging me to tell my story."

Dana Hahn, WJBK's vice president of news, says the station was concerned
about Thomas possibly leaving because of the condition.

"Lee is also a friend and we wanted to help," she says. "He had covered it
up so well, we really didn't realize the impact it was having or how far it
had spread."

Thomas finally agreed to tell his story on television in November 2005.

After the first segment on Thomas' vitiligo aired, Hahn says he took a leave
of absence and missed the initial response from viewers.

"I received 40 to 50 e-mails a day the entire time he was gone," Hahn
says. "So many people found support and encouragement in his story.
I've never seen the kind of response to any story in my 12 years at Fox 2."

At the time, Thomas was already writing his book.

"As all those things happened, the tone of the book changed," he says. "I
was writing for all those people who were afraid to come outside."

Dr. Sancy Leachman, associate professor of dermatology at the University
of Utah, calls vitiligo stigmatizing, driving some to even consider suicide.

"They feel people are looking at them all of the time," she says. "They are
very self-conscious about people staring at them in the grocery line. It
can be a very demoralizing condition."

Thomas acknowledges he even preferred the security of solitude to the
awkward stares of strangers when not wearing his makeup.

"There were times when I would not come out of the house," he says. "I
call it a mental war. It was me saying, 'I don't want to deal with it today.'
I never stayed in for very long. I know people who stay in now for months
at a time."

When he's out socially now, Thomas forgoes the makeup he wears on
camera.


He met his girlfriend of seven months, Karen Tate, at a vegetarian
restaurant they both enjoy. She said when they're out together, she
notices some people staring and making muffled comments about his appearance.

"He doesn't say anything," Tate, 28, says. "It doesn't really bother me.
Some people are just rude."

She says she sees past what some people can't. "He just has a very free
spirit. He is just a very nice guy. He opens up completely in his book. It is
something he really wanted to do."

Surprisingly, Thomas gives vitiligo some credit.

"Having this disease forces me to focus on what I am: kind, caring, honest,"
he says. "There are people who have diseases that will kill them."

Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may
not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

......... Okay, but at least his nose didn't go pencil thin, his
hair didn't go straight and he doesn't wear smeared lipstick to
return some color to his lips

[Gen X EJC]

he looks great and is very brave.

also, his 'white' skin has the tone I've seen on other vitiligo sufferers in person - which is amazingly different from Michael's skin tone.

Just things that make you go hmmmm.

[HWBL]

Originally Posted by Gen X EJC

he looks great and is very brave.

also, his 'white' skin has the tone I've seen on other vitiligo sufferers in person - which is amazingly different from Michael's skin tone.

Just things that make you go hmmmm.

Yeah, pinkish, not "death warmed over grey-blueish-white".

[tictac]

I always feel so bad for people I see with this disorder. It sucks that it seems to happen smack dab in the middle of their faces too. My daughter has it, but it is on the backs of her legs and she's pretty pale to begin with so it's not so noticeable. I hope it doesn't happen on her face too.

[Gen X EJC]

Originally Posted by HWBL

Yeah, pinkish, not "death warmed over grey-blueish-white".

yeah, no one's gonna convince me he didn't bleach his skin. nasty.

Originally Posted by tictac

I always feel so bad for people I see with this disorder. It sucks that it seems to happen smack dab in the middle of their faces too. My daughter has it, but it is on the backs of her legs and she's pretty pale to begin with so it's not so noticeable. I hope it doesn't happen on her face too.

I'm sure that even if it does progress she will be just as beautiful as she was before. I look at vitiligo the same way as I would a large birthmark or scar - although it might be one of the first things I see, I don't stop looking until I have seen how lovely that person is as a whole.

Although, to be fair, I don't really consider vitiligo (or birthmarks) as being UNattractive. I might be in the minority there, though.

[greysfang]

Originally Posted by Gen X EJC

he looks great and is very brave.

also, his 'white' skin has the tone I've seen on other vitiligo sufferers in person - which is amazingly different from Michael's skin tone.

Just things that make you go hmmmm.

Exactly. I grew up around a man who truly suffered from vitiligo. He was a deacon in my church and one of my grandfather's best friends, and I know what it really looks like. I've always known that Michael's "condition" was bullshit.

[bychance]

Originally Posted by Gen X EJC

yeah, no one's gonna convince me he didn't bleach his skin. nasty.

Not even Lee Thomas himself, correct? lol

YouTube Video

YouTube - Lee Thomas - Part 1 of 2

YouTube Video

YouTube - Lee Thomas - Part 2 of 2

P.S. You can't "bleach" your skin if you don't have vitiligo. I've noticed someone mentioned his skin complexion as "deathly white". Of course it is. Vitiligo strips away all the pigmentation of the skin, leaving it porcleain white. Thats why vitiligo sufferers are even paler than white people.

[greysfang]

^^Bullshit. Anyone who believes that crap is seriously delusional.

[bychance]

Originally Posted by greysfang

^^Bullshit. Anyone who believes that crap is seriously delusional.

Than call me scientifically delusional!! Its really cool how not even a dermatologist who've studied this disease for years who would know better than anyone else, as well as a fellow vitiligo patient cannot confirm anyone's doubts. That really sucks doesn't it.

[greysfang]

Uh yeah, then can you explain how anal bleaching is one of the most popular cosmetic procedures if "you can't bleach your skin"?

[bychance]

Originally Posted by greysfang

Uh yeah, then can you explain how anal bleaching is one of the most popular cosmetic procedures if "you can't bleach your skin"?

Anal bleaching? People do that? Gross.

I'm referring to bleaching the skin with the medicine monobenzylether of hydroquinone (which is only prescribed to vitiligo patients) not the lightening/fading cream you can find at a drug store, which is most likely what the people who bleach the anal area do. People that bleach their skin to remove scars and minor discolorations use creams with only hydroquinone, which is reversible and not permanent. (If you ever look at those products, it will tell you that the pigmentation you wanted to get rid of may reappear. I bought Ambi for a scar on my leg, and on the back of the box it says it contains 2% of hydroquinone).

AMBI SKINCARE

This unique, triple action formula effectively and safely fades unwanted dark marks without changing your natural skin tone. When used as directed , results can be seen in as little as 2 weeks. Once your natural skin tone is restored , you can discontinue use of the productTo help keep skin even-toned, it is important to use a sunscreen (SPF 30) with the use of AMBI® Fade Creams. It is specially formulated for oily skin to be light and non-greasy. The unique, triple action formula combines the following:

• Hydroquinone, a dermatologist-recommended ingredient, safely fades dark spots
• Vitamin E helps soften and smooth skin
• Alpha Hydroxy Acid helps enhance results

Active Ingredients
Hydroquinon 2% (Skin Bleaching Agent), Octinoxate 2% (Sunscreen)

[HWBL]

Originally Posted by bychance

Not even Lee Thomas himself, correct? lol



YouTube - Lee Thomas - Part 1 of 2



YouTube - Lee Thomas - Part 2 of 2

P.S. You can't "bleach" your skin if you don't have vitiligo. I've noticed someone mentioned his skin complexion as "deathly white". Of course it is. Vitiligo strips away all the pigmentation of the skin, leaving it porcleain white. Thats why vitiligo sufferers are even paler than white people.

And there you are! Uhm, it's "someone" here.
I call BS on what you say about my color remark. I have known
3 people with the condition in my lifetime and NONE of them has
that death grey-blue-white color that Jackson got at the bleach
place. NONSENS. Yes, they go pale, but NOT paler than white
people, there's always a hint of pinkish or yellowish, never blue.

[yanna]

Poor guy, he looks like a cartoon! What a nasty disease! I knew a girl who had it, she tried everything she could to battle it, everything they told her might help she did it. She would start her day forcing down two spoonfuls of olive oil cause someone told her they would work. Nothing did. She's happily married now but that shit just won't go away.

if it wasn't Jacko, i might buy the vtiligo excuse but I do think it's strange that he would turn fully white and not in patches like this guy and other sufferers. So I seriously doubt it.

[zebracakes]

I think Michael Jackson probably looked like this guy and then started bleaching the dark patches to make them match. If I were in his shoes--I've got a huge career, lots of cash rolling in and I think my looks are crucial to maintaining it--I'd probably be tempted to do something crazy too. As wacko and Jacko is, I think he really does have vitiligo.

[Grimmlok]

obviously bychance has never been to India where bleaching creams run rampant.