Nicole Lucas Hall is a lovely mom of 2, son Asher and daughter Winry. And like any respectable mother, she’s a warrior. Nicole conducts a pretty ordinary life, but she does have a mission: to celebrate her daughter’s unique beauty. Her 13-month-old, Winry, was born with a rare birthmark that covers a fourth of her face.
Bright Side is always first in line to share these kinds of inspiring stories. That’s why we invite you to come along with us as we look through the eyes of a mother who uses social media to spread the word about her daughter’s experience and connect with other parents in similar situations.
At first, Winry’s parents were really concerned.
When recalling the moment they first saw her daughter, Nicole said their initial thoughts were confusion and concern for her safety, as neither of them had ever seen such a birthmark like that.
They assumed it was something dangerous, but the doctors quickly put their fears to rest. Winry was born with rare congenital melanocytic nevi, or CMN, with a prevalence estimated at around 1 in 50,000 births. They were reassured that the birthmark was most likely purely aesthetic and that any health risks would be on par with other nevi or moles.
Nicole revealed to Bright Side that after a vast sigh of relief, they could finally relax and appreciate Winry’s arrival even more. She and her husband’s primary goal today, months after her birth, is to keep their daughter healthy and confident in herself.
Critics and unpleasant looks are daily occurrences.
Unfortunately, there has been no shortage of hostile comments and criticism since Nicole began sharing her daughter’s tale, but even in their day-to-day life, some people stare or give Winry unfavorable glances.
However, Nicole has been rather calm about the situation. She informed us that they both sought to keep most of their social media responses informative, given that almost all the negative comments they received were simply because of ignorance. To those who are rude and hateful, Nicole and her husband respond with humor.
Aside from that, they’ve been nearly entirely overwhelmed by the compassion of those who have learned about Winry.
Her brother is her protector.
Every little sister wants to have an older brother looking after her. And in Winry’s case, Asher is a true, helpful, sweet brother. According to Nicole, he is wonderfully unaware that there is anything “different” about her. He knows she has a birthmark on her face, but that is nothing more different to him than having different eye colors.
Asher, like any other kid of his age, is sometimes jealous to share mom time, but apart from that, Nicole is sure he will grow up to be both Winry’s best friend and protector.
They are raising Winry to become a confident woman.
Every single day, Nicole and her husband do everything they can to protect and raise Winry and her brother to be confident in all of their strengths and features. As important as it is for them to constantly check on Winry’s health, they are also concerned about how others might perceive or judge her.
Nicole has told us that educating Winry on cherishing things like kindness is one of their top priorities in life. They are raising her to become a warrior, continuously trying to instill confidence by reminding her of her beauty in the hopes Winry will grow up to be as joyful as she is now.
Nicole knows one thing for sure: they will always safeguard and direct their daughter toward people who will regard her with kindness and respect. Winry will always find shelter and a safe place in her family’s arms — that is what matters most.
A social media mission
Nicole is committed to using social media to raise awareness about CMN; her major goal is to educate the public about Winry’s condition, while also encouraging parents to teach their children to celebrate diversity and the positive aspects of themselves.
Winry was the first person in the family to have this birthmark, as Nicole had mentioned to Bright Side, and despite its rarity, there are far too many families who can connect to and benefit from Winry’s story.
As parents, they will try anything to make their daughter’s life path a smooth one. Nicole has made it her job to normalize and inform others about birthmarks. She and her husband imagine a time when Winry will have to go somewhere, meet someone new, and face dozens of questions about her looks; they want to make things different for her and for other children like Winry.
Do you support Nicole’s quest to raise awareness about her daughter and other people who have rare birthmarks?