As per Good Morning America, little Winry Hall was born with an extremely rare birthmark known as congenital melanocytic nevi, or CMN.
As a result, Winry, at 13 months old, doesn’t look like the children around her – the rare birthmark that covers a fourth of her face.
Nicole, who works as a teacher, was really concerned and shocked when the nurses handed Winry over to her after the delivery in February 2021.
She had a pretty normal pregnancy and didn’t expect her daughter to have a skin condition.
”I was lucky to have a pretty average pregnancy! I had morning sickness from about weeks 8-14, but as soon as that let up I felt great until the tiredness kicked in the last month,” she writes on her blog.
According to Nicole, it was probably the doctors and nurses who first spotted the CMN. But nothing came out of their mouths besides cheering and congratulations for such a fast and smooth delivery.¨
They also assured Nicole that all of Winry’s vitals looked good.
After Nicole had nursed her newborn daughter for a while, she started to look at Winry. First, the confused mother thought the big mark on Winrys head was just a bruise.
“It was then quickly apparent to my husband and I that it was not a bruise. And like the name, I thought it looked a lot like a mole,” Nicole says.
In her blog, Nicole has described her feelings.
”Some of the excitement of labor had passed, and I would say worry was the main emotion I felt – I recognized that it resembled a mole, but I had never seen anything like it, and I was worried it might be harmful to her. None of the nurses had said anything about it at this point, but I wasn’t sure what to ask so I just held her tight and loved on her.”
A report by the National Organization for Rare Diseases states that CMN can take the form of light brown or black patches, and can reach almost any size on any part of the body.
Nicole and her partner now want to highlight their daughter’s uniqueness, in a bid to encourage others that being slightly different isn’t something to be ashamed of, but rather proud of.
“For a lot of people, this is the first time seeing a birthmark like hers and that’s part of why I enjoy sharing,” Hall said.
“This is a good conversation for parents with their children to see kids have differences, or for those parents who do have a kid that looks like Winry or has any kind of a birthmark to see their child represented.”
Given that Winry’s birthmark could put her at an increased risk of developing melanoma (skin cancer), her parents take precautions to protect her skin. Nicole, though, said that she’s more worried that her daughter will encounter bullying when she grows older.
“Her health and happiness are our top priority. We have to monitor her with sunscreen. I’m careful with hats and that sort of thing,” Hall explained to Good Morning America.
“I know our regular dermatology appointment is probably going to be our best friend growing up.”
As for how Winry sees the world, she’s a happy, energetic little girl without a care in the world. In short, she’s everything a baby should be.
