TV Reporter Takes Makeup Off, Makes A Confession That Stuns Viewers

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 curveballs to throw at him lee got his career started as an entertainment reporter for channel 1 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 one day 25 year old lee went to the barber shop 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 sign 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 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 futilico 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 in november 2005 more than a decade after being diagnosed with vitiligo lee shared his story with the public he took off 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 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 being a dedicated reporter lee knew first and foremost he had to tell his subject's story he realized his appearance could be a distraction especially when he had five to ten 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 every year on june 25th lee appears on tv without makeup for world vetilico 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 today i feel like the disease has made me the man that i always wanted to be statedly 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 allowed him to branch out professionally and become an author 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