A double whammy of vitiligo and burn scars

Joan Mbogo, a beautician. She shares her struggle loving the skin she bears. [Jenipher Wachie, Standard]

I was playing with my sister outside our house when I accidentally fell inside a trough full of hot water. My father had left it there to cool for his bath. I was left with severe burns that took two years to heal completely. These are stories that my parents tell me as I was only three when the accident happened. But I still have faint memories of the pain I went through then.

The doctors then were against the idea of skin grafting since I was very tiny. My parents were stuck with the option of numerous visits to health facilities where my wounds were nursed. It took a while to straighten my hands but they eventually healed.