A mum-of-two was left confused and questioning herself when her baby girl was born with ivory-coloured skin and blonde hair.
Stay-at-home mum Edith Garcia was so shocked when her youngest daughter, Tatiana was born as she and her husband, Raul, are of Mexican-American descent.
But the couple had both inherited the albinism gene and later discovered that some of their distant relatives have the condition.
After doing some thorough research from the National Organisation for Albinism and Hypopigmentation, they found solace in other families going through the same thing.
Tatiana's albinism means that she has little to no pigmentation which has left her with white hair and fair skin.
Due to her condition she has a lack of pigmentation in her eyes which means she has poor vision, a low depth perception.
She has nystagmus, involuntary eye movement, and photophobia, light and glare sensitivity.
Edith, 33, from California, USA, said strangers give them judgemental looks when out with Tatiana, now three and her older sister, Mariah, five.
She said: "When Tatiana was born, all I could see was this very fair skinned baby girl with really blonde hair; I didn't know what to think.
“For a split second, I looked over to my husband and wondered what he did but clearly, it doesn't work that way. So naturally, I questioned my own decisions.
“Personally, I find it funny because I know neither of us would have done such thing but when you look at a blonde baby that comes out of a brown Mexican American mother, you wonder, even if it’s yourself.
“The reason why it was a huge shocker was because my husband and I had no idea that we inherited the albinism gene and that there are known relatives with albinism.
“After she was born, my mother asked my grandfather if he knew of any relatives and he confirmed that there were, but they were at least five generations back.
"My husband's side was similar, distant cousins but not close enough to have known the possibilities."
She added: "Tatiana knows that she is special; she is used to the attention that she gets from strangers and doesn't seem to mind it.
“She knows it's mostly because of her white hair as that is what usually people say. I think it's important too for her to feel confident and know that she is special in her own way but still the same. So far, it seems like she gets it.
“Mariah was four years old when she really started to notice people staring at her sister and asked why. I explained to her that a lot of people haven't seen a little girl with white hair and that is very special.
“She is a great help to her little sister; we often remind her that Tatiana may need help transitioning to new locations. Mariah has had shirts stating that her little sister has albinism.”
She added: "I quickly learned that albinism was not very common amongst us and not a lot of people including myself knew anything about it.
“I have read and seen some very heartbreaking things towards people with albinism and that's when it clicked.
“I will do everything in my power to raise awareness for Tatiana and every person that follows her. We are in this albinism community and together we will raise awareness.
“I believe everything happens for a reason so being a mama to a little girl with albinism has always been God's plan.
“I have made it a point to teach anyone that comes across as interested and eager to learn with the continuous support of our friends and family.
“I think it's cute that she feels beautiful and knows how special she is but it is more important that she knows her inner beauty.
“While everyone can compliment her hair or looks, I will be behind the scenes telling her how smart, strong and kind she is.
“Research; ask questions and become aware of albinism or any condition and how it affects people. Everyone is different and can be affected differently.
“They do not have red eyes; it is the blood vessels that are visible due to the lack of pigmentation.
"Remember that they're born this way; they don't know any different. Identify their strengths and work on their difficulties, support them.”
