Mexican-American Mom Doubted Her Daughter's Paternity, Child Diagnosed With Albinism

A Mexican-American mother doubted the paternity of her newborn considering how different she looked. The baby was born with ivory skin and white-blonde hair, and the parents later learned that it was due to a congenital disorder called Albinism.

33-year-old Edith Garcia is a resident of California. She gave birth to her daughter, Tatiana, in June 2014. Both Garcia and her husband Raul, who is also Mexican-American, were taken aback by their daughter’s appearance at the time of her birth.

"For a split second, I looked over to my husband and wondered what he did but clearly, it doesn't work that way," Garcia said. "So naturally, I questioned my own decisions."

Turns out, both the parents carried the albinism gene, which they were unaware of, and it passed on to Tatiana.

“After [Tatiana] was born, my mother asked my grandfather if he knew of any relatives and he confirmed that there were, but they were at least five generations back," Garcia told The Sun.

Albinism is marked by the unavailability of pigmentation in the skin, hair, and eyes. It can also lead to poor vision depth perception coupled with involuntary eye movements, and sensitivity to light.

Tatiana was born a day before National Albinism Awareness Day on June 13. Young Tatiana knows that she is special, despite the attention she receives.

Garcia said that her daughter’s special genetic condition has made her eager to raise awareness.

"I have read and seen some very heart-breaking things towards people with albinism and that's when it clicked," she said.

Garcia also wants her daughter to feel confident and always know that is special in her unique ways, but still the same.