Laura, my best friend, was going to give birth in a few hours. Her husband Oscar, her mother, and I were waiting for her in the hall which leads to the maternity room. Her husband was not so excited. In fact, we all knew that Laura’s child was an albino and Oscar was not so proud of that. Furthermore, albino people are discriminated against for a lot of reasons: according to some beliefs, some of their body parts can transmit magical powers, and those parts are used as ingredients in some rituals. Other beliefs state that albino people are cursed and that they bring bad luck. Consequently, they are chased after and sold as if they were animals; they are dismembered, even killed. In spite of that, Laura was happy to welcome that amazing creature.
“A child is a child,” she used to say.
Suddenly, the doctor exited the maternity room with a gloomy face. He announced that there was a severe complication and that the family had to decide whether they would save the mother or the baby. All of them decided to save the mother. “What a stupid question doctor, my Laura’s life versus that thing?” replied Oscar. Nevertheless, when the doctor asked Laura the same question, she answered the opposite. She decided to save the baby’s life. The doctor announced to us that Laura wanted to save her baby. We quickly went to see Laura and tried to persuade her to change her decision and she refused. Everyone was heartbroken. “How can she sacrifice herself for an albino?” They wondered. Her family was speechless. We cried and we went out. We prayed for her soul and Oscar went home, without seeing his baby “the cursed one.”
One hour later, the doctor appeared with a smiling face: “everyone is safe; we have managed to deal with the complication.” It was the most beautiful day of my life—I was wondering how I would never see my best friend again. I called Oscar and he came to see his wife, but he did not even dare to touch his baby. This was awful. However, Laura was a loving and caring mother.
She raised awareness in her village and she explained that the superstitions about albinos are totally false. Moreover, she encouraged other parents who have albino children to motivate them in whatever they do.
Laura is the most wonderful and strong person I have ever seen. She is an outspoken girl since her childhood and I really admire the way she is. She hated social injustice and discrimination. To see that she risked her life for someone who stereotypically seemed not to deserve such love is wonderful. She did not care about what her husband or the neighborhood said about her child. While discussing, she revealed to me that before she gave birth to the child, her family had tried to force her to abort. Challenging them was not easy, but she was waiting for the baby’s arrival like no one else; none would have persuaded her to change her point of view.
This is for me a definite example of unconditional love. She is a courageous and good mother. I choose to write about her because she inspired me. Now I have learned to put myself in others’ shoes and to empathize with them. I know that I do not need to be a spectator, but I have also to act when I see others being discriminated. I wish we had many people like Laura for a happy world, safe for all people, especially albinos.
