(music)
Over here who could have this disease, not have
it and I got it. I've had people move away from me
on elevators. You know.
I've had kids cry when they see me
and as soon as I get out of my car, people are staring at me.
That's all day, all the time.
That's not something that's like a light switch you turn on and off.
It happens all the time.
but it is a disease that forces you to really examine yourself
and it's like psychological warfare.
Also on the Fox Beat tonight among those in attendance Eminem who recently
I'm an anchor entertainment reporter for Fox2 and
because I'm on TV here I have to wear make up all
the time, it straight up sucks like *!#$.
That was my last shift.
Doing my job and having this disease, the reporter
in me knows that there's an answer if I keep digging.
Why is there not a cure?
I want repigment.
I want to look like I used to look.
So I went to a holistic doctor and I've gone to a bunch of natural pathic
and holistic doctors that try to address problems from the inside out.
I have a regimen that I've started that I think bring back pigment.
This is PABA, this is cod liver oil, Beta TCP, this
is called pigmentum, recolor neem and it's just a plant.
This is the ayurvedic medication, this is the cream that goes with it.
The old me is like I would never be one of those pill guys.
How far would you go to cure yourself?
I know it's possible so, I'm very excited about the possibility
that I could fully re-pigment.
(music)
This is the ayurvedic cream that I use.
I put it on my face and ears and stuff.
Three times a day I take supplements just to help everything out.
(music)
I am getting ready to apply my make up
so, I can go to work today.
Takes me about 15 minutes to put it on.
But you start off with the good Vitiligo areas first.
Then you blend the rest in.
I'm like about 40% without pigment now.
It could get much worse.
One day I may stop wearing dark make up
and flip it to light make up.
I'm not really wanting to go down that route.
I hope that doesn't happen and there it is.
We're gonna keep you in studio for the Murray show
cause we've got all the Idol stuff and movement stuff.
Okay.
Make up comes off when I eat.
(music)
At least one of them I need to get done for tomorrow.
Thanks, bye!
Ah! (music)
Okay, does my face look okay?
There's something missing there?
I was looking in the monitor.
I'll be right back.
(music)
Of ten, here we go.
American Idol Season 8 is over
and the tour begins for the contestants
but what about those judges?
(music)
Sometimes when you know when I sneeze when
I have to wipe my face and make up comes off.
And I have to do touch ups throughout the day.
So we're here at the station and I'm gonna talk
to the make up specialist from Cover Effects about
this new make up that I wanna try.
It'll help it stay a little better.
I'm gonna give it a shot.
Why don't you have a seat. I can sit here?
So how is it going?
You know when I scratch or something, it might
or especially when I blow my nose. It moves a little bit.
It comes off a little bit.
Okay, using a setting powder with it
or you know, a make up primer underneath it.
Those products are really the seal to keep the make up in place.
So, it doesn't look shiny or oily.
So, let's go ahead and get started.
(music)
So, you're thinking?
It's really cool that it's gonna help it stay on longer
because our news cast is going longer.
(both laughing)
How many people do you think you work with that have Vitiligo?
Probably about 50 or 60.
Do you find people that have a significant
amounts of pigment come back or just little bits?
Some of them just recover completely.
There's is not as advanced as yours.
They get little ones here and there.
You know, I think I'm gonna completely re-pigment.
And you know what, if you continue to be that way,
you're gonna find exactly what you're looking for.
(music)
See how it's creeping in right there?
Right there, see that little edge?
I mean I stare at myself all the time so, I noticed these last night.
(music and crowd noise)
Amy and Mike, what's going on?
You guys all ready? All set up?
I'm going in to do a little photo shoot.
Friend of mine, Mike Shore, who did the pictures in my book.
We're gonna document where the Vitilago is now
so, we can kind of see the progression.
I'm excited about this one.
I tried a little something with the things that I
think that would help repigment and it works.
So, pigment started coming it pretty, like freckling in.
That's awesome
I want to be able to look and see where it's coming back.
Then maybe again, 4 months or 2 months or when I get significant re-pigment.
Yeah, that's what you should do. Very cool.
Alright, you wanna do it?
Yes!
Let's do go ahead and look towards the camera.
(music and sounds of camera)
You wanna take a look at some of these?
Sure
Look at how much he has here in 2007.
So, that's an '07 back to 2009.
Wow, really 2/3rds of it really.
Here is some chest. Look at that.
How much would you say?
What percentage is gone?
I said around 35-40%
Um, It's a lot. More than 50?
55% gone. 60?
Yeah,
(music)
It's gotten worse before it's gotten better.
The changes eye opening a little for me because I
can't see it everywhere so, I got to see things I hadn't seen before
and it gave me more fuel to remain vigilant with this diet.
No matter what anybody else says, the possibility that I could
fully re-pigment, I'm telling you I believe it.
(music)
Hey Lee. How you doin? Thank you so much for meeting me.
Thank you.
It's good to see you again.
Ready for some lunch? Okay
Are you guys ready to order?
Yes, I'd like the baby spinach salad.
Skip the pecans and can I have the walnuts.
I don't want the candy pecans.
You want the walnuts you said.
Yeah, and I still want tomatoes, onions, and do you have black olives?
Yes, okay.
Thank you.
I have been following a very strict diet.
It's 85% vegetables and fruit raw and 15% cooked,
1 cooked meal a day.
That's awesome.
And part of the treatment that I'm doing is a lotion that I put on.
It's an Indian medicine it's called ayurvedic medication.
So I'm trying that as well.
Hopefully I'll do all these things and the pigment will come.
You've had it since you were three? Since 3 years old.
Since you were 2 or 3 and when my mom, she took me to a doctor
and they knew nothing about this at all and the
gentleman took me and laid me on something
like a cookie sheet and they slid me under these
bright lights, slid me in there and they would bake me.
Tried to bake my body to turn the pigment to come back.
And the only thing that happened was I would get so hot,
it would blister my skin and they would pull me out
and put oil and ointments on me and slide me back in
and they took pictures of me to see before
and after and all of these things and none of that worked.
None of that helped.
So, my mom took me from doctor to doctor and
everybody said he just have pigment of the skin.
Don't have any pigment there.
Has it progressed any for you?
Because for me it's gotten worse lately.
Yes.
I've had very little, very very little progression in
the last five years I would say and that would
die down and this area here it kind of spread open a little bit more.
I have to tell you the journey has been incredible.
You know I've been trying to figure it out.
Me being the reporter that I am and documenting
all the different things that I've done.
When I find success, I'll spell it all out.
I just got back from California, I saw a friend of mine.
He had a little child with him and sitting in a little high chair
and I said Hey!
That little boy screamed as if he had seen a ghost.
Wow!
Isn't that the toughest?
Oh, it hurt me so bad. I almost they say I forgot
and when I got home I looked in the mirror
and I said I don't blame the child.
You don't see a person with vigilitis every day.
Yeah, a lot of people are still hiding you know?
Still very afraid to come out of the house.
No one in the world that have vigilitis that would
hear of a cure that would not go after it
and it doesn't matter if I'm 75 or 80 years old.
If I hear of a cure, I'm going to get it.
You're going to try it.
I'm documenting it as much as possible cause
I know how skeptical people can be.
If I can find my way out of it, we all can.
(piano music)