Canadian model with vitiligo who inspires fashion world

Yahoo – AFP, February 13, 2015

Canadian model with vitiligo who inspires fashion world

New York (AFP) - Chantelle Winnie is taking the fashion world by storm.

The young Canadian model, who loves an English breakfast of sausage, bacon and egg, is the It girl of diversity in a world pilloried for brutal uniformity.

Diagnosed with vitiligo aged four, the same skin disorder Michael Jackson had, she overcame bullying and years of rejection to achieve her dream of becoming an international model.

Plucked from obscurity to appear on "America's Next Top Model" and chosen last year as the face of Barcelona label Desigual, she loves every second of her whirlwind, "amazing" life punctuated by lots of sleep and her mother's breakfasts in Toronto.

The 20-year-old has crossed dreams off to-do lists, but the biggie remains: gracing the cover of fashion bible American "Vogue," whose steely editor in chief Anna Wintour she has not met. Yet.

Bubbly and prone to loud guffaws of laughter, Winnie projects a girly exterior that belies a cast-iron determination.

She has become a spokeswoman for vitiligo, which causes white patches to appear across the body and affects up to two million Americans, and has learned to be proud of who she is.

"I could more label myself as even a spokeswoman for happiness!" she tells AFP in a New York hotel overlooking a gritty, wintry skyline of Manhattan.

But it has not been an easy journey to the catwalk for Desigual on Thursday, the first day of fall/autumn 2015 New York Fashion Week.

Brought up by single mom

Brought up by a single mother hairdresser, she flew regularly to see her father who comes from Jamaica and has a house in Atlanta.

"We lived on our own for a very long time and those are my happiest years, me and my mom," she said.

But she was badly bullied at school and as a teenager was rejected by every modelling agency in Toronto.

Like any self-respecting wannabe, she built a profile on social media where she was discovered by ex-model Tyra Banks, presenter of long-running TV reality show "America's Next Top Model."

Winnie was booted off the show in 2014 but Banks is clearly a huge inspiration and the two have remained close.

"You were already a star. I just gave you a platform to make sure people recognized that you were. Keep making me proud," she says, fishing out her cell phone to read a message from Banks.

"That really touched me," she adds.

The fashion world has long been blamed for a multitude of sins: eating disorders, the cult of thinness, an image of perfection that ordinary women can never obtain and of being too white.

Although Winnie's pigmented face is striking, she has the classic figure of a model -- five feet 10 inches (1.78 meters) with coltish limbs, chiselled cheekbones and a tiny waist.

A model with Downs Syndrome features in New York this week. Plus-size models are more common in magazines and New York Fashion Week has clamped down on harsh working conditions for child models.

Industry opening up

"Even the top models right now have a lot of personality and I feel like that's what people are looking for, you know, something they can relate to, a real person," says Winnie.

"So I feel like the industry is very much opening up, widening their eyes."

She describes Desigual as family.

"It was very organic, you know. They just met me, fell in love with me and they were like yep we're keeping you, you're ours now."

The label's signature bold patterns and bright colors suit her personality but at heart she is a sweatpants and sneakers kind of girl.

She doesn't dwell on bad things in the past and says her message to young girls is: "Focus on your opinion of yourself and not the opinion others have of you."

When she visited her old middle school she was mobbed. "A lot of the kids were like 'Oh my God, you're her, you're that girl!'"

She laughs again. She gives the impression of a homebody who loves to sleep and loves being coddled by her mom when she is home.

There she tucks into her mother's English breakfast of tea, beans, sausage or bacon, and runny eggs -- all protein -- and just the occasional piece of brown toast to dip into the eggs.

"The rest of the day I'll have like tonnes of spinach," she laughs. "But protein and vegetables, that's kind of my diet."

Woman with strange disease being treated at Solo hospital

Antara News, Friday, January 8, 2010 14:19 WIB

Solo, C Java (ANTARA News) - The Dr Moewardi General Hospital here has since Wednesday (Jan 6) been treating Katiyem (46), a female patient suffering from a strange disease.

Katiyem, a resident of Pojok hamlet, Gondang village, Wonogiri, Central Java was admitted to Dr Moewardi General Hospital on a recommendation from the Wonogiri district`s health office. it was learned on Friday.

In a talk with an Antara reporter, Katiyem said she had been suffering from the disease since six years ago.

"I feel very sick if I do not hold hands with my husband. Before I was taken to this hospital, my husband, Laman (59), even had to put his leg on my body to keep the sick feeling away. I get a splitting headache and my body hurts all over if I am not holding hands with my husband," she said.

Because of the ailment, Katiyem had spent the last six years only lying in bed, unable to do anything on her own. Her husband, Laman, was also not in a position to work because every time he left Katiyem, she would cry in agonizing pain.

"She refused to be left alone. If I absolutely have to do something away from her, my son takes my place in holding her hand," Laman said.

Doctors at the hospital have so far not been able to come up with a firm diagnosis of Katiyem`s condition. One of them, Dr. Djoko Suwito Sp Kj, said no physical symptoms of a known disease were found on Katiyem.

But Suwito said, from an interview with Katiyem, he had drawn the conclusion that she was suffering from delusions or mental disorders.

He said he had never before encountered a patient suffering from the same condition as Katiyem`s.

Down’s syndrome kids celebrate world day

The Jakarta Post , Tangerang, 03/25/2009

For our friends and parents: People with Down’s syndrome
 play six songs in a band during a celebration of World Down’s
 Syndrome Day, in Ciputat’s Kandank Jurank community in Banten.
(JP/Kili Pringgodigdo)

As many as 200 children with Down’s syndrome (DS), from Ciputat’s Kandank Jurank community in Banten, celebrated the World Down syndrome Day with their parents over the weekend.

They took turns singing cheerful songs with their friends and dancing to the melody.

Dodo showed off his drumming to an audience of parents and friends, while 23-year-old Kartika, nicknamed Noni, recited a long poem about having DS.

“If a child with mental deficiency is able to talk about herself, this is what she would say. I am a person with a mental deficiency. My parents told me when I was a fetus in my mother’s womb, they never stop praying that I would grow healthy, strong, and smart...” Kartika recited to the crowd.

With a theme titled “I exist, I can”, the event was held by the Affiliation of Parents of DS children (Potads).

DS is a chromosomal disorder first reported in 1866 by a British doctor, John Langdon Down. DS leads to the impairment of sufferers’ physical and intellectual development.

With one in every 700 people born with DS, Indonesia has about 300,000 people with DS.

Olivia Sitaresmi, head of the event’s committee, said World Down’s syndrome Day was celebrated so that parents of DS children could meet and give each other support.

“We have to be especially patient and support children with DS with loving care. That’s the most important thing,” said Kartika’s mother Henny Tjoa.

She said support from the family and teachers was crucial. When she found it hard to cope with raising her DS child, she asked for the help of experts and other parents who have DS children. A child with DS might need a year to learn something a child without DS would learn in a month.

“But I’m grateful to God. She might be less privileged mentally, but God has given her so many blessings,” Henny said about her daughter who learned English without any mentor.

Dik Doank, a musician whose community facilities were used for the event, said, “These DS children are gifted. Some of us might see them as deficient, but it’s just because we, average humans, cannot see their qualities. They are gifted.”

Dian HP, a musician who prepared the younger DS kids for the percussion show, said it took six months to train them for the six songs.

“They actually love music very much! They follow the rhythm and every beat,” said Dian.

Sriwahyuning, mother of 10-year-old Abil, advised parents with a DS child not to be embarrassed when introducing their child into society. This will help them cope better the situation, she said.

“When you have a special need child, people around you are capable of saying anything about your child, from harassing to supporting words. But when I gave birth to Abil, after three days in the hospital, I wasted no time introducing Abil to my relatives and neighbors,” said Sriwahyuning.

“[We realized] If we were open about it [her special need], then people would also be open to share information and we would receive more help and information when caring for our child,” she said.

She said quit her job when a psychologist advised her that her child needed her care.

She took her now 10-year-old child Abil for monthly physical therapy from when Abil was three months old until she reached her ninth birthday. She said DS children need physical therapy as their muscles were weak.

Later on, her child needed occupational and speech therapy.

“If everything goes well, then bring your child to school, preferably a general school that accepts special need children as it is better for their social life,” she said.

She advised parents not to treat their DS children any different from their other children. For those who had more money, she suggested given their DS children the opportunity to learn any form of art, music or dance.

“Music therapy is good to maintain their emotions in balance,” she said.

“Sometimes these children have high energy levels that they cannot control. Music will help bring sooth those energy levels.” (iwp)

Snoring no laughing matter: Specialists

Prodita Sabarini, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Mon, 03/02/2009 2:13 PM  

Many Jakartans are unaware of the health and social risks that come with sleeping disorders, seeing insomnia as a regular part of urban life or assuming that snoring as a sign of deep sleep, a sleep specialist says. 

Dr. Andreas Prasadja, a sleep physician at the Mitra Kemayoran Sleep Laboratory, pointed out a lack of sleep poses health risks and contributes to the number of traffic accidents in the city. 

"We've heard about so many traffic accidents being caused by drivers falling asleep at the wheel," he said Friday at a seminar on sleeping disorders. 

Andreas said he hoped to dispel two commonly believed false notions: Sleep as a sign for laziness and snoring was a sign of deep, restful slumber. 

He said our urban lifestyle, which hails productivity and runs by the motto "work hard, play hard", has contributed to people's sleep problems. 

For productivity's sake people force themselves to work long hours using stimulants which then keep users awake when it was time to rest. Light sleeping is not the only consequence: overuse of stimulants can lead to kidney failure. 

He also said exercising just before going to bed can disrupt sleep as well as a brightly lit room, or snuggling up with our digital sidekicks, laptops and cell phones, before snoozing. 

He said people should avoid taking stimulants - including caffeine, nicotine, and chocolate - nine hours before going to sleep, replacing them with relaxing drinks such as camomile tea. 

He also encouraged people to finish their exercise regimes three hours before going to bed and to stop all work-related activities an hour before. 

"When you feel really sleepy, then go to bed. Do not do anything in bed except sleep and have sex," he said. 

Another sleep disorder which is the most common and the most dangerous but also the most ignored is snoring. 

"Snoring is not a laughing matter. It's serious. If untreated it can cause hypertension, heart failure, diabetes or stroke," he said. 

He said that hypersomnia, a condition where people feel excessive daytime sleepiness despite long nighttime sleep might be caused by sleep apnea, a sleep disorder characterized by pauses in breathing during sleep, common among people who snore. 

"During sleep the muscles of the body relax, including the soft tissue around the air way in the throat area. These tissues can collapse and obstruct breathing during sleep, causing people to stop breathing until they gasp for air," he said. 

To take in air, sufferers must wake over and over so they are never fully rested and can wind up with chronic, life-threatening consequences of extended sleep deprivation. 

The importance of sleep, however, has yet to be fully understood by the public, including doctors, Andreas said. 

"In Indonesia doctors diagnosing patients with hypertension or diabetes still rarely ask how well their patient is sleeping at night. In developed countries, that question is one the first questions the doctors ask a patient," he said. 

Lalaine Gedal, a Singapore-based sleep physician, said the prevalence of sleep apnea among 35-year-olds is 20 percent among men, and 5 percent among women. Among the elderly, 60 percent of men have sleep apnea and 40 percent of women. 

A patient of Andreas said he had not realized he had been suffering from sleep apnea until he became very tired every day, dozing off during meetings and even while driving. 

For those who dread surgical interventions, an effective and noninvasive method for stopping snoring involves a machine. Andreas' patient now uses a Continuous Positive Airway Pressure device known as a CPAP. 

The CPAP includes a mask with air tubes and a fan. It uses air pressure to push the user's tongue forward and keep the throat open. This allows air to pass through the airway consistently. It reduces snoring and prevents apnea wake-ups. 

There are only two sleep specialists in Indonesia, both based in Jakarta. Andreas and Rimawati Tedjasukmana founded Thursday the Indonesian Society of Sleep Medicine, or INA Sleep. 

Andreas said he hoped to educate people about sleeping disorders, through the organization.

Hospital opens sleep disorder center

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Persahabatan Hospital in Rawamangun, East Jakarta, recently opened a specialized center to treat people suffering from sleep disorders.

Declaring itself Indonesia's first center for sleep disorder treatment, the center offers a "comprehensive" range of diagnoses and treatments.

Center coordinator Budhi Antariksa said it was in response to the needs of patients that Persahabatan Hospital, which is the national reference center for respiratory problems, established the sleep center, which officially opened earlier this month.

"Indonesia doesn't have any data regarding the number of people suffering from sleep disorders, but the country accounts for around 50 percent of the total number of sleep disorder patients at some hospitals in Singapore and Malaysia. So, why not build our own sleep center here?" Budhi said recently.

He said the establishment of the center was aimed at not only providing medical care to the community, but also at developing medical education in the country, with Persahabatan Hospital's close links to the University of Indonesia's School of Medicine.

Each patient treated at the sleep center, according to Budhi, will first have an interview where they will be asked to list all sleep-related complaints they may have.

The results of the interview will determine whether a patient needs to undergo a polysomnogram, a special test commonly used to diagnose sleep disorders.

According to hospital officials, the sleep center features a team of doctors from a variety of disciplines, including two pulmonologists; two ear, nose and throat specialists (ENTs); a cardiologist; a neurologist; a pediatrician; and a psychiatrist.

"If the problem is caused by obstruction of the airway, the patient will be handed over to pulmonologists or ENTs. If it is related to a neurological disorder, he/she will be sent to neurologists, and so on," Budhi said.

The sleep center's polysomnograph machine is able to monitor different body functions during sleep, including brain and eye movement, muscle activity, heart rhythm and respiratory efforts.

The gathered data can then be used to diagnose different types of sleep disorders, including sleep apnea (the obstruction of the airway during sleep, causing loud snoring and sudden awakenings when breathing stops); narcolepsy (the condition of falling asleep spontaneously and unwillingly at inappropriate times); restless legs syndrome (an irresistible urge to move legs); REM behavior disorder (acting out violent or dramatic dreams while in REM sleep); and parasomnias (include a variety of disruptive sleep-related events).

Budhi said Persahabatan Hospital has had its polysomnograph since the end of 2005, and has so far treated about 35 patients with the machine.

Two other hospitals in the city have polysomnographs. They are Mitra Keluarga Hospital in Kemayoran, Central Jakarta, and Medistra Hospital on Jl. Gatot Subroto in South Jakarta.

"But we're the only one that has a team of specialists from multiple disciplines. That's why I can say we're the only sleep disorder treatment center in Indonesia," said Budhi.

To learn more about the services at Persahabatan Hospital's sleep center, you can dial 4891708, ext. 209/296. Or you can come to the Griya Puspa building at the Persahabatan Hospital complex. (wda)