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

Mark Cripps’ sister Lisa has fought for much in her life. She is now in for what may be the fight of her life.

As a young child, Lisa contracted pneumonia and spent a month in the hospital. She grew up with an abusive stepmother and struggled through a difficult marriage. Despite the obstacles, she managed to raise two children and find a career in real estate. But last week, the young woman with an infectious personality, hit another road block. She was diagnosed with Stevens Johnson Syndrome (SJS), an adverse reaction to antibiotics prescribed to her following minor surgery.

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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.

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If you or a family member has suffered from the rare but life-threatening adverse reaction to medication known as Stevens Johnson Syndrome (SJS), or its most severe form, toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN), you already may be aware of the value information available at the Stevens Johnson Syndrome Foundation site (www.sjssupport.org). Unless you study the site, you may not be away of all the resources available.

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Stevens Johnson Syndrome (SJS) and its most serious form Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis (TEN) are serious, life threatening conditions caused by common medication. They are defined as hypersensitivity disorders that affect the skin and mucous membranes, causing the top layer of skin to peel off in sheets and painful blisters to form on the eyes and mouth. It affects people of all ages and genders. Infants and children are not exempt. The drugs most commonly associated with SJS and TEN in children are ibuprofen-based medications such as Children’s Motrin. Other drugs that can cause SJS and TEN include anti-seizure medications and antibiotics.

The Stevens Johnson Syndrome Foundation was founded as a community for adults and children affected by the condition. It is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting public awareness to adverse drug reactions. Tax-deductible donations help power the organizations Web site and enable its members to raise awareness of the condition and provide much needed support to others suffering from SJS and TEN.

One of the organization’s outreach projects aims to provide comfort to the tiniest sufferers of SJS and TEN. For a tax-deductible donation of $30, the organization provides a plush bear and blanket to a child with SJS and TEN.

For more information about this important cause visit the SJS Foundation’s Donation Center. To participate in the bear & blanket program, send your $30 check payable to the Stevens Johnson Syndrome Foundation, P.O. Box 350333
 Westminster, CO 80035-0333,
 USA. Please include “SJS Kids Comfort” in the memo section. Other donation opportunities also are detailed on the Web site.

It was bad enough that Jean McCrawley’s infant daughter Julie was diagnosed with epilepsy, but two weeks after she was prescribed phenobarbatol to treat her seizures, she woke up with a swollen eyes and a high fever. Jean took her daughter to the doctor who discovered blisters forming on the little girl’s shoulders and mouth. He diagnosed her with chicken pox.

But the blisters got worse. They spread down her throat and little Julie was unable to drink her bottle because of the pain. Jean rushed her daughter to the hospital, where doctors continued to administered the phenobarbatol for her seizures. But Julie’s health continued to decline. Four days later the little girl’s lungs collapsed and her skin began coming off in sheets. That’s when a nurse realized what was going on. “This is Stevens Johnson Syndrome (SJS),” she said. Jean was relieved to have a diagnosis, but the doctor said, “This is extremely serious. She could die.”

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New reports from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and cancer patients have put Revlimid, an oral medicine given to patients with multiple myeloma, on a list of medications that could possibly cause Stevens Johnson Syndrome when used by itself or mixed with other drugs. Stevens Johnson syndrome is a serious, potentially life-threatening skin disease that can start with flu-like symptoms and eventually cause a rash that spreads and blisters.

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