Meet Abby R. – IN

Hi everyone! My name is Abigail or Abby, for short, and I have ichthyosis. Unfortunately, I don’t know what type of ichthyosis I have because I was diagnosed when I was two years old. One thing I do know about my skin is that it causes my skin to be thin and pink.

I have always believed that I have had it easy with ichthyosis because I don’t have many problems and live a pretty normal life unlike some people with more severe symptoms. The only problem I have ever had with my skin is when I’m stressed and it starts to peel more, mainly on my hands and feet. This mainly happens before my races as I am a cross country and track runner.

Whenever the seasons changes too, my skin will go through a period where it peels excessively, it’s at its worst from the fall to the winter change. Another problem I had with my skin was sweating. I used to not sweat very much which I found out was related to ichthyosis so I was prone to over heating. However, at the beginning of this year my sweat pattern changed.

Going through elementary school with ichthyosis was rough. I was constantly bullied because I had a different skin color than my peers and I was often called a tomato by the girls in my class. But then I found an amazing group of girls who helped me through it and although people still make comments, they don’t get to me as much.

When I was little, I was always embarrassed to go out in public because people would point and stare at me just because I’m pink. One time while on vacation in Florida, a woman chased my mom down on the beach to give her sunscreen because she believed that my sister and I were sunburned. But now I love teaching people about ichthyosis and spreading awareness for it!

One way that I spread awareness for ichthyosis is by teaching my competitors at cross country and track meets. I have had the opportunity to run at the IHSAA State Cross Country Championships Meet the past two years and when I notice someone staring, I kindly tell them that I am in fact not sunburned, but I was born with a rare genetic skin disorder.

Another way I spread awareness was through the Miss Wells County Teen Pageant this year. I saw it as a great opportunity to show little girls that you don’t have to fit the stereotypical beauty standard to compete, because that’s something I didn’t have growing up. And even though I didn’t win, I still felt that I sent my message.

Ichthyosis is something that has always been a big part of my life because my family is one of the only ones in Wells County with it. To help spread the message, for my health 4-H poster a couple years ago, I taught the basics of ichthyosis and people came up to me at fair saying how much they enjoyed learning something new.

Because of my connection to ichthyosis, it has led me to want to become a dermatologist after I get out of high school so I can help those with Ichthyosis and other related skin types.

Thank you for listening to my story! I love you all and I hope you love your skin as much as I love mine!