Vitiligo is a long-term skin condition in which patches of the skin lose their pigment, becoming white with sharp margins. The disorder, which affects roughly 1-3 per cent of the population, is otherwise harmless physically, but it can result in psychological stress and social stigma, as well as increased sensitivity to the sun.
64-year-old Brazilian grandfather João Stanganelli Junior lives with vitiligo, with it becoming gradually more noticeable since it first appeared in his 30s.
Having recently become semi-retired from the gastronomy industry due to unrelated health issues, João decided to take up a hobby to keep himself active and engaged. He and his wife took up crocheting, and while it was difficult at first, he soon got the hang of it.
“At first my fingers and back hurt a lot, today no more,” João told. I’m not yet retired, I still keep up my old work with food, but much less intensely. At the moment I spend 90% of my time with the dolls. I have many orders.”
João says that crocheting has quite an addictive allure – once you become accustomed to the rhythm (and the callouses on the fingers), it is hard to stop!
João’s first project was a doll for his granddaughter, something for her to always remember him by. So he created a doll with vitiligo patches, and an idea was born.
João started making more of these inclusive dolls, including a doll in a wheelchair amongst others. They were all designed to help children feel ‘normal’ and valued, no matter what kind of condition they might be living with.
Motivated and inspired by the joy and self-esteem his dolls were bringing, João continued to create, using Facebook and Instagram to display his latest works.
For anyone thinking of retirement soon, this is the ideal way to give something back to the community!
“My view of vitiligo seems to me to be very different from the general, I think it is necessary first that you have vitiligo, after this acceptance you choose what you want to do,” João continued. “I still quote Benjamin Disraeli: ‘Life is too short to be small.’”
“The horrible spots are the spots on the character.”
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Here’s what people had to say about João’s dolls
