A mother of five who has three children born with albinism, which gives them pale skin and visual impairments which can cause them to “walk into buildings”, has said she wishes people would stop making “rude” and “nasty” comments as she and her husband feel “so blessed to have them”. Stacey Chappell, 34, a full-time mother, and her husband Jason, 40, a cleaner, “did not know anything about” albinism – a condition which affects the production of melanin, the pigment that colours the skin, hair and eyes – prior to their children’s diagnoses.
Albinism affects the family’s everyday life as the three children have to wear factor 50 sun cream every time they go outside, even when it is cloudy, and the couple have installed blackout curtains at home as sunlight can cause severe burns due to the reduced amount of melanin in their skin. After the birth of their first child Jay, 15, Stacey said she “blamed (herself)” for his albinism because “(she) made him” and the couple were in and out of hospital “all the time”.
Stacey said she suffered with postnatal depression and initially rejected help from others as she felt it was “(her) responsibility” to look after him; however, the couple later made contact with Guide Dogs – the leading UK charity for people with sight loss – and this has been invaluable. Despite the daily challenges the couple face, they said they feel “privileged” to have three children with a “rare” condition and they hope that by talking more openly about albinism, people will think twice before making “nasty” comments, as people should “never ever judge a book by its cover”.
