Nicole Lucas Hall is a lovely mother of two, son Asher and daughter Winry. Winry, 13 months old, was born with a rare birthmark that covers a quarter of her face.
Recalling the moment they saw their daughter for the first time, Nicole said her initial thoughts were confusion and concern for her safety, as neither of them had ever seen a birthmark like that.
She said: “When it was first handed to me I thought it was a bruise. So my husband and I quickly realized it wasn’t a bruise. And just like the name, I thought it looked a lot like a mole.” They assumed it was something dangerous, but doctors quickly allayed their fears. Winry was born with a rare congenital melanocytic neᴠi, with a prevalence estimated at around 1 in every 50,000 births. They were assured that the birthmark was most likely purely cosmetic and that any health risk would be comparable to other nevi or moles.
Nicole breathed a huge sigh of relief, they were finally able to relax and appreciate Winry’s arrival even more. Instead of being sad about her daughter’s circumstances, Nicole said she used the power of social media to promote awareness and encourage others that being “different” is her superpower. She said: “For a lot of people, this is the first time I’ve seen a birthmark like hers and that’s part of the reason I enjoy sharing it. This is a good conversation for parents with their children to see that children have differences, or for those parents who have a child who looks like Winry or has some type of birthmark to see their child represented. Your health and happiness are our top priority. We have to watch it with sunscreen. I’m careful with hats and that kind of thing. I know our regular dermatology appointment will probably be our best friend when we get older.”
Other than that, they have been almost completely overwhelmed by the compassion of those who have learned about Winry. Every little sister wants to have an older brother to take care of her. And in Winry’s case, Asher is a sincere, helpful and sweet brother. According to Nicole, he is blissfully unaware that there is something “different” about her. He knows she has a birthmark on her face, but that’s nothing more different to him than having different eye colors. Every day, Nicole and her husband do everything they can to protect and raise Winry and her brother to rely on all of their strengths and characteristics. As important as it is for them to constantly monitor Winry’s health, they are also concerned about how others might perceive or judge her.
Winry was the first person in the family to have this birthmark. But Winry is what really sets her apart. Nicole said: “She just radiates joy. He almost always laughs or screams. She is simply the happiest baby I have ever seen. She is already a great conversationalist. We haven’t said many words, but she tells it like it is and she’s already getting a little cheeky, so I think we’re going to have a lot on our plate. We have to talk to several people from Brazil with birthmarks. “One of them has one that is almost identical to Winry and it’s been so fun talking to her because she’s almost exactly my age.”
