Mother's Pregnancy Triggers Rare Disease Neurofibromatosis (Graphic)

One of the most tragic diseases known to man has manifest itself in 38-year-old Charmaine Sahadeo of Chaguanas, Trinidad resulting in a massive flare up of bubble-like tumors on her body. Sahadeo suffers from a genetic disorder called neurofibromatosis that causes the growths which are not actually cancerous.

<img src="https://media.8ch.net/file_store/3e7823db3a6645c52ee9cb00a8cd45e30372bff446ad4affdab5556e7a67747a.jpg" style="max-height:640px;max-width:360px;">

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Sahadeo says she has always had the condition but the growths didn't become obvious until she gave birth to her second son, Osiris. The flare-up became so bad it has encompassed her whole body in thousands of bubble-like growths which make leading a normal life virtually impossible.

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The disease has prevented Sahadeo from working and she is too self-conscious to go outside where she frequently ridiculed for her appearance. She has been seeking medical treatments in the UK, US, and Australia but so far two surgeries have failed to stop the growths.

"I have had the condition since birth, but it started getting a lot worse about 15 years ago," Sahadeo explained. "It’s very painful, especially my leg. Right now when I squeeze the bump something like a large blackhead comes out. Sometimes if you do that they can become infected. Once my entire finger swelled up and it was very painful. I have to be very careful."

The 38-year-old went on to explain how seeking medical treatment for her condition has been difficult due to the rarity of the disease. "Here in Trinidad, there is no help for me at all. I have had two surgeries to try and clear some of the lumps but they have swollen up again," she said. "In all, I think I have thousands of lumps. On my face and head alone there are probably three thousand or more. It looks like my skin is a strange bubble wrap."

<img src="https://media.8ch.net/file_store/da5731a74e41b3cb7a56445b816e14d39857018de8ca727c8d4c71bb85654f95.jpg" style="max-height:640px;max-width:360px;">

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The growths have made even basic functions such as seeing difficult. "It is the ones by my eyes that concern me the most," Sahadeo said. "The doctors say they could remove them to stop them blocking any vision but I am too afraid of the risk to my eyesight. I really worry something could go wrong."

Sahadeo struggles to find work and care for her two sons, Caleb, 19 and Osiris, 15. "I get a lot of stares if I go out and a lot of people bring me down," she said. "I see myself as a beautiful person and I try not to let people affect me. I can’t let myself be affected by everyone’s opinions."

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"Some people do say some horrible things. Some people, especially children, get scared of me and run away. One person even told me that if they were in my position they would kill themselves," she explained. Neurofibromatosis affects 25,000 people around the world but not all cases are as severe as Sadadeo's.

She even lost her husband of 18 years because of the disease. One thing is certain, she is a very brave woman for handling the condition so well.

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Source: http://wsbuzz.com/world-news/mums-pregnancy-triggers-flare-rare-disease-neurofibromatosis-leaving-covered-bubble-like-tumours/