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“What we’re doing now in the communities is just trying to get awareness in the communities of what vitiligo is,  so when people see us out in public it will hopefully limit the stares and the whispers”

Tonja Johnson was diagnosed with Vitiligo when she was 43-years-old. Vitiligo is a skin disease that causes the skin to lose pigment.

Today she educates others on the disease and encourages those living with vitiligo through her support group, Beautifully Unblemished.

“What we’re doing now in the communities is just trying to get awareness in the communities of what vitiligo is,  so when people see us out in public it will hopefully limit the stares and the whispers,” Johnson says. “We’re not contagious, it’s just a skin disorder that takes the pigment color out of your skin and it affects all races.”

Founded in March 2018, Beautifully Unblemished is the first support group of its kind in Florida with over 120 members, who are affected by the skin disease.

They put on events for members and people interested in learning about Vitiligo. The organization also pushes advocates for education in the schools about Vitiligo by speaking to elected officials.

Johnson’s motto is, “My spots don’t define me because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.”

Johnson is featured as one of our Everyday Heroes in RoyalTee’s fall/winter edition, coming out in November 2019. 

To learn more about Beautifully Unblemished, click here