After a trip to Indonesia, a 37-year-old animal protector from the UK was diagnosed with an incurable disease. Reported by The Independent.
Rebecca Willers suffers from diffuse systemic scleroderma, an autoimmune disease of the connective tissue with characteristic lesions of the skin, blood vessels, musculoskeletal system and internal organs. 10 percent of those who become ill die within five years.
In 2015, Wheelers traveled to Sumatra to participate in a conservation project for Sumatran tigers, an endangered species with a population of less than 500. Experts believe that the development of systemic scleroderma was triggered by a mosquito bite during this trip.
After returning to the UK, the woman suffered several diseases that had no visible connection with each other, after which she was diagnosed with systemic scleroderma.
Due to the disease, her skin and connective tissue become harder. According to Wheelers, she feels like she's turning to stone. “The worst thing is how quickly the disease spread,” she says. - The doctor warned me that in the next three years she will become even more aggressive. Now even brushing my teeth is difficult, because my hands seem to be made of stone - I cannot grab anything."
Wheelers plans to spend on testing and treatment retirement savings and the proceeds from the sale of the house. “Animals were my whole life, and now I have to sit in the zoo office and do paperwork,” she complains.
In October, it was reported that a 21-year-old Italian woman was diagnosed with a rare disease that caused her to sweat blood.
