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Jean McCawley is a most deserving recipient of ABC 7’s Extreme Makeover: American Dream contest. The Westminster, Colorado, woman has been through a lot in the past several years, but she has kept her focus on helping others.
About 300 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with Stevens-Johnson Syndrome (SJS) each year. It is a serious and life-threatening disorder often caused by an allergic reaction to prescription and over-the-counter medications, and it can affect people of all ages, including children. Those afflicted by the disease experience severe and often painful inflammation of the mucus membranes and, if left untreated, it can result in blindness, serious health problems, and death.
Julie McCawley became a victim of SJS when she was just 11 months old. Her mother, Jean McCawley, established the SJS Foundation in 1995 to provide the public and medical communities with information about the adverse allergic drug reactions and to serve as a support outlet for victims of SJS and their families. Today, Julie is 14 years old and as a result of SJS has lost vision in one of her eyes.
