Community Health & Wellness
Fox Island teen raising awareness of vitiligo, a rare autoimmune disease
Cora Smith was working on her high school capstone project, a report on the autoimmune disease vitiligo, when she learned about the World Vitiligo Day Conference in Florida.
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Vitiligo causes parts of the skin to lose color or pigment, resulting in irregular spots or patches. An estimated 1% of the world’s population live with the disease, which occurs when cells that produce melanin stop functioning.
The disease is not life-threatening or contagious, but it has a significant emotional and social toll.
Cora Smith’s journey
Doctors diagnosed Smith with vitiligo at age 7. She said the disease has often made her feel isolated from her peers. White spots on her skin sometimes led to bullying and made it difficult for her to feel confident when she was younger.
Cora Smith, a Fox Island resident and rising junior at Bellarmine Prep in Tacoma, at the World Vitiligo Day Conference in Florida. Photo courtesy of Smith
At the conference, Smith spoke with doctors and other people living with vitiligo. She learned about insurance limitations for treatment and felt empowered listening to fashion model Winne Harlow, who has vitiligo, speak about her experiences.
“Seeing other people with spots, it felt really comforting,” she said. “It felt like this language we could speak.”
The experience left the Fox Island teen and rising junior at Bellarmine Prep with a newfound understanding of vitiligo and a desire to raise awareness about the disease.
Vitiligo Day in Washington
Smith submitted a proclamation, later approved by Gov. Bob Ferguson’s office, declaring June 25, 2026, as Vitiligo Day in Washington. The date corresponds with World Vitiligo Day.
A state proclamation, signed by Gov. Bob Ferguson, declaring June 25 as Vitiligo Day. Cora Smith of Fox Island submitted the proclamation.
“This kind of recognition is more than symbolic — it helps increase public understanding, reduce stigma, and bring attention to the real challenges people living with vitiligo face every day,” Alicia Roufs, vice president of vitiligo support at the Global Vitiligo Foundation, said in a press release.
Smith said her next goal is to build a website for people living with vitiligo in Washington, where they can share their experiences, photos of themselves and connect.
Smith said working on these projects has been healing. While living with vitiligo is a challenge, she said it is something she has started to embrace.
“It’s really turned into this drive,” she said. “[Vitiligo] is something I take pride in now, instead of dwelling on the fact I have these white spots.”