Johanna Watkins is an American who lives a particularly difficult daily life: the young woman undergoes extreme allergic reactions when she comes into contact with a multitude of things. She even became « allergic » to her husband.
For this resident of Minneapolis (in Minnesota in the United States), daily life has become a real ordeal. The 29-year-old has “mast cell activation syndrome,” a condition that disrupts the way her immune system responds to stimuli. Thus, it undergoes violent allergic reactions when it comes into contact with many things such as most foods, chemicals, dust or even the smell of other people.
Even her husband provokes extreme reactions in her: I can’t get too close to her. I can’t hug her without hurting her “, explains Scott Watkins to the American channel Fox 9. “ As soon as the door opens, I can feel it. My body goes into attack mode. My throat automatically tightens “says the one who now lives in a room equipped with several air purifiers. The case of the young woman is particularly severe and no treatment manages to control her condition.
The young woman, who had to quit her teaching job, lived with less extreme symptoms for several years, but was formally diagnosed in 2015. Neither chemotherapy nor medications have had any effects on her since and instead, her symptoms got worse. To date, only 15 foods are still tolerated by his body.
In order to make his wife’s daily life more comfortable by making special arrangements in their house, Scott Watkins launched a crowdfunding campaign on the GoFundMe platform. » Due to the life-threatening nature of Johanna’s illness and her uncertain prognosis, it became clear that we needed a permanent home and more security. “, he writes. Amenities that involve installing a special air filtration system, removing asbestos from the walls and renovating the kitchen to make it hypoallergenic for Johanna who hopes to return to their home for Christmas.