Beasley, Allen, Crow, Methvin, Portis & Miles, P.C.

It’s good to hear SpunkyRachel’s voice again. She is the woman we first met last December, who put video testimonials on YouTube about her experience with Stevens Johnson Syndrome, or SJS. In the early videos, her hair is missing and white patches cloud her dark skin. She had just been released from the hospital, where she stayed for several weeks, much of that time in a drug-induced coma where she clung on to life.

SJS is a rare but life-threatening disorder usually caused by an adverse reaction to common medication such as antibiotics, anti-seizure medication and ibuprofen. SJS is a hypersensitivity disorder that presents with a rash on the skin that blisters over causing the skin to peel off in sheets. Mucus membranes also can be affected, with blisters developing on the eyes and in the mouth which can lead to ocular problems, dehydration, infection and even death.

Rachel’s videos show her gradual physical progress. What we see is that surviving the condition is the first hurdle. The next is the physical recovery – as the skin heals and the hair grows back. The emotional recovery can take longer, and Rachel shares that promise and pain in her last two videos from February 2, and April 9.

Rachel tells us that she feels physically stronger every day. She is in therapy now to deal with the depression that makes her “fight the urge every day not to cry.” She has noticed those closest to her drift away or change the way they treat her. One blessing is a friend she has found who suffered from SJS five years ago. The friend shared a picture of herself – completely physically healed from the peeled-off skin and hairlessness. It gives Rachel hope that she, too, will look like her old self again.

Her video testimonials are honest and real, and not only serve as a healing mechanism for her, but a way for her to help others. The videos, she says, “may benefit somebody in the future.”

This entry was posted on Thursday, April 16th, 2009 at 2:02 pm and is filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.