TAMPA, Fla. (WFTS) — The fifth annual Vitiligo Awareness Walk took place at Al Lopez Park in Tampa on Saturday.
The event brings together patients, families and advocates to raise awareness and provide support for those living with vitiligo.
WATCH: Tampa Bay 28 anchors Wendy Ryan and Paul LaGrone emcee Vitiligo Awareness Walk
Tampa Bay 28 anchor Wendy Ryan and Paul LaGrone helped emcee the event, which is organized by the Beautifully Unblemished Support Group.
It's a nonprofit for individuals living with vitiligo, and helps support their mental well-being, after being diagnosed with the auto-immune disease. The walk also raises money for Beautifully Unblemished to continue raising awareness and support those living with the disease. Vitiligo is a chronic skin condition characterized by the loss of pigment.
Those at the event say taking part in something like this brings the community together and makes the experience personal for everyone, even if they don’t have a personal connection to vitiligo.
“Incyte Dermatology is a pharmaceutical company. When we go into a space, we go, like, deep in. So, we are very committed to the Vitiligo Community," Erica Cech, Incyte's communications and patient advocacy lead, explained to Tampa Bay 28's Ryan.
"When you meet somebody like Tonja, who runs Beautifully Unblemished, it's impossible not to get completely swept up by her. So we're here to support, lift-up patient voices and really just support everything that she's doing."
Mayor Jane Castor was at the walk and welcomed the crowd. And her partner, Ana Cruz, spoke about being diagnosed with vitiligo and the challenges she faced for many years.
She also talked about how important it is to stop the stigma around the disease.
The event introduced its first canine ambassador. The black lab, named "Sunday" was diagnosed with vitiligo in March and has already lost most of his black color.
You can learn more about Beautifully Unblemished by clicking here.
