Awesome - TV Reporter Takes Makeup Off, Makes A Confession That Stuns Viewers
After many years of hiding a giant secret, Lee Thomas knew he had to come clean. He didn’t know what the confession would mean for his life and his career. But he was convinced that continuing the charade would only make things worse. He didn’t expect that telling the truth would give his life new meaning.
Lee Thomas always wanted to be a TV reporter. After obtaining his Bachelor of Arts in Communication from George Mason University, he set off to find a job. Opportunity soon came calling, and he found himself working in the city of dreams: New York. But life had more than a few curve balls to throw at him.
Living The Dream
Lee got his career started as an entertainment reporter for Channel One News in New York. He covered all sorts of glamorous events, such as the Oscars and the MTV Movie Awards. He felt as if the sky was the limit for his professional life. He had no idea that something within him was about to take his career for a spin.
A Strange Patch On His Skin
One day, 25-year-old Lee went to the barbershop. There, the barber told him there was a small, discolored patch on the back of his scalp. “It looked to me like he had nicked my hair, like cut it too much down to the scalp,” he recalls. He grabbed a mirror and took a closer look — the barber was right. But he had no idea what it was.
It Was Spreading
Lee told his mother, who chalked it off to stress. She told him to worry less, but he’d soon find that impossible to do. The patches were multiplying. “Another spot came up on the other side of my scalp[…] then some came on my hands, the corners of my mouth and the bridge of my nose,” he said. Lee did his best to ignore it, but the problem wasn’t going away.
Couldn’t Ignore It Any Longer
After two years of trying to ignore what was happening to his skin, the transformation was becoming so obvious that Lee had no choice but to seek expert advice. He went to a dermatologist, who gave him a diagnosis that shattered his dreams of a long and successful TV career.
An Incurable Disease
Lee was diagnosed with vitiligo, an incurable condition that causes the skin to lose pigmentation, turning it white. The patches were only going to continue growing. “I was in my head thinking my career was over. I was already thinking of what else I could do with my communications degree,” he said. After a short period of desperation, he decided to carry on, finding creative ways to hide his disease from the world.
Living A Double Life
Lee moved to Michigan, where he found work at Fox 2 Detroit. He wouldn’t leave his house without makeup on, and he wore gloves to cover the patches on his hands. But there were logistical issues he didn’t expect. For instance, he couldn’t wash his hands in front of colleagues. So he kept to himself and became increasingly private. Until he couldn’t keep it in any longer.
Not The Whole Truth
Four years into his job at Fox, Lee decided to confide in his bosses and co-workers but didn’t tell them how severe the condition was. He started going on air without gloves on. But the disease showed no signs of slowing down. Soon, the white patches covered 35 percent of Lee’s body. He knew then he had to tell management the whole story. Their reaction was not what he expected.
Reluctant To Tell His Story
Lee’s bosses wanted him to tell his story on the air. He was reluctant. ”I didn’t want to because I thought it was a ratings thing, you know, ‘Look at the black guy turning white at 10,’” he recalls. But viewers with vitiligo started calling in after seeing his hands, asking him to talk about it on TV. That’s when he realized his predicament could help other people.
Coming Clean
In November 2005, more than a decade after being diagnosed with vitiligo, Lee shared his story with the public. He took his makeup live on air, showing the white patches on his skin. He talked about the facts of the disease and how it affected his life. Viewers connected with the story in a way that he couldn’t have predicted.
Met With Overwhelming Support
The station received countless letters and emails expressing their support for Lee, and many thanking him for speaking out. “I’ve gotten letters from all over the world from people struggling with this disease, and I’ve done something good if I can help them,” he said. It turned out his fears of losing his career were unfounded. But that didn’t mean his plight was over.
A Slave To Makeup
Being a dedicated reporter, Lee knew first and foremost he had to tell his subjects’ story. He realized his appearance could be a distraction, especially when he had 5-10 minutes to interview a celebrity and all they wanted to talk about was his condition. So he decided to keep wearing makeup while on the air. But he makes an exception one day every year.
Using His Platform For Good
Every year, on June 25, Lee appears on TV without makeup for World Vitiligo Day. He wants to raise as much awareness as possible about the disease. He has heard stories of people who won’t leave their house due to insecurities about their appearance. “There are lots suffering in silence, and I hope to be their voice,” he says. In the end, though, he acknowledges the positive things the condition has brought into his life.
It Made Him A Better Person
“Today I feel like this disease has made me the man that I always wanted to be,” stated Lee. “I am honorable, respectful, a good citizen, a good father, a good brother, [and] I am more compassionate and have more empathy than I ever thought I could have.” His life story has also allowed him to branch out professionally and become an author.
Using His Experience To Give Back
In 2007, Lee wrote a book called “Turning White: A Memoir of Change,” which documents his journey coming to terms with vitiligo. He hopes his experience can help all people with self-image issues, not just those who suffer from a skin condition. “I’m not going to die from this. […] I still have my life. I still have my job […] everything else is gravy.”
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