- Rosamere Fernanda de Andrade from Recife gave birth to a white baby
- She thought doctors had made a mistake as she was an African Brazilian
- Her ex-husband was also an African Brazilian but they both had albino gene
- Three of the couple's children were born with blonde hair and blue eyes
- Ms de Andrade's three other children were born with normal skin pigment
When
Rosamere Fernanda de Andrade held her newborn baby daughter, she
assumed there had been a terrible mistake as while she was black, her
child had white skin, blonde hair and blue eyes.
Ms
de Andrade and her then husband Joao, are both African Brazilian, but
their first daughter suffered from the rare genetic condition,
albinism.
Ruth, who is now 14, was born without any skin pigment and looked considerably different to her parents.
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Rosamere Fernanda de Andrade, centre, thought there had been a mistake when she gave birth to a white child
Ms de Andrade, pictured, was 18 when she gave birth to her first daughter Ruth, who has albinism
Ms de Andrade's three albino children require factor 100 sun block to protect them when they play outside
Amazing story of the albino Andrade family from Brazil
Since having her first child, Ms de Andrade, 31, has given birth to two other albino children as well as three who are black.
Ms de Andrade said the difference between her family is so vast that she is often mistaken for the albino children's nanny.
The mother-of-six from Recife, Brazil said: 'When I am with my children I get strange looks because we look so different.
'Once I was leaving a shopping centre with Ruth and Estefani and a security guard asked where their mother was.
'It used to make me angry but I am learning people need educating about what albinism is.'
However, Ms de Andrade's biggest worry is how albinism will affect kids Ruth, 14, Estefani, 12, and Kauan, nine.
The
condition is characterised by the absence of pigment in the skin, hair
and eyes - which leaves sufferers exposed to a range of afflictions.
The
youngsters are so sensitive to sunlight that they need factor 100 sun
block every two hours - and not allowed to play outside in the middle of
the day.
Ms de Andrade's three albino children also have to wear special glasses while outside due to the sun
She said she wanted to help people to understand about the incredibly rare condition
Ms de Andrade and her ex husband both carried the albino gene which was passed to three of their children
Ms
de Andrade, who is also mother to Joao, 13, Rebeca, five and Maria,
two, who are black, said: 'Having children with this condition poses so
many difficulties.
'I'm terrified they will develop skin cancer because they have no natural protection from the sun.
'I need to monitor them constantly to make sure they aren't burning and worry about what damage has already been done.'
Ms
de Andrade was shocked when she gave birth to first child, Ruth, at age
18, with ex-husband, Alexandrino Barbosa de Sobral, 63.
She said: 'I thought someone was playing a trick on me and had switched my baby with a white family's.'
And
after returning to their village in a poor part of Recife, Brazil, Ms
de Andrade struggled with the way friends and neighbors reacted to her
baby.
Ms de Andrade said when her children were growing up some neighbours made comments about their skin
She said she is particularly scared that they may develop skin cancer because of their lack of pigment
Ms de Andrade, who now lives with partner Robenilson, left, knows her children may also have albino children
She said: 'The neighbours began making comments about Ruth, asking if she was diseased.
'They even suggested Joao wasn't the father and I had been with someone else. It made me angry.'
It
wasn't until Ms de Andrade gave birth to her second child with
albinism, Stefani, one year later that she could put her mind to rest.
'The
doctors explained that both Joao and I must carry a gene for albinism
and so each time we had a child there was a one in four chance the child
would have it,' she said.
By the time Ruth has seven, Ms de Andrade began to notice how the condition was beginning to affect her children.
She
said: 'I started noticing how red Ruth and Estefani became after being
outside. Later they would cry because of the pain of being burnt.
'I felt helpless because I didn't know what to do.'
Worryingly, Ms de Andrade recalls how on occasions the children's skin would become so damaged by the sun it would bubble.
Ms de Andrade said it could only take a few minutes in the sun for her children's skin to bubble dangerously
She said she wants to educate her own children and the public about albinism
She said: 'It can happen so quickly when the sun is fierce. Now I know not to let them into the sun after 10am.
'If they have to leave the house I make sure they wear long sleeves, hats and plenty of sunscreen.'
Esthefane
said: 'We are like prisoners, we have to stay inside all the time in
the summer. We can't play games like the others. We are like vampires.'
Ms
de Andrade, who lives with partner Robenilson, 37, who is father to
Maria, knows there's a chance any of her children could have albino
babies of their own.
But
with the help of doctors she now knows how to manage the condition and
will be able to educate her own children in how to care for theirs.
She said: 'I would feel like a normal grandmother and accept my grandchildren as I accepted my children.
'The doctor explained everything to me.
'I will constantly apply sunscreen on their skin and I'll also try to let them play mainly in the night.'
The Andrade family's story appears in Body Bizarre tomorrow, Thursday November 6, 9pm on TLC
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