Shalini Yadav is a 16 year old girl that does not live the normal teenaged life. Since she was born she has suffered from erythroderma, a disease that causes her skin to shed every forty five days or so, just like a snake. The very dry skin is constantly drying up and flaking off, causing her constant pain like not many of us know. She has visited several doctors but none of them can figure out a way to treat her. To make matters worse her family is very poor and can’t afford to buy her proper moisturizer. That wouldn’t cure the problem all together but it would certainly help some. Yadav has been thrown out of school because all of the other students are afraid of her. They don’t realize that they can’t catch what she has because it isn’t contagious. However, that didn’t stop the school officials from telling her parents that she was no longer welcomed there. She still has hope that doctors will finally come up with a way to treat her. The constant pain that she is in leaves her with thoughts that death is a welcomed option. That in itself is just a shame.Yadav has had erythroderma since she was born. It causes excessive dryness in her skin and it sheds like a snake.
Her skin falls off every forty five days or so, just like a snake. The shedding skin has her in constant pain.
Her family feels helpless because they can’t do anything to help her. They have visited many doctors but they don’t know how to treat her.
Her family is very poor so they can’t afford the only that may be of a little help. Doctor’s can’t come up with anything else that might be of some help.
The pain from the shedding skin is very bad. That’s on the outside though. The emotional pain is just as bad.
She was thrown out of school because the other kids are afraid of her. How she is treated leaves an emotional pain that is just as bad as the physical.
The disease is referred to as “Red Man Syndrome” and no one outside of her family wants to go near her. They don’t believe the fact that it isn’t contagious.
The only thing that seems to work a little is soaking her entire body in water every hour. If they can get some moisturizer they smear it in with the water. That helps a little with the flaking of the skin.
Yadav has been like this since she was born. Her family has no money to buy any kind of cream that might help.
She has two siblings that are just fine. They feel bad for their sister because there is nothing they can do to help her.
Since she can’t go to school anymore she has to try to learn at home. The 16 year old can’t get people to understand they can’t catch it from her.
The only think that she wants out of life is for doctors to find a way to help her. She said the pain is so bad that death would be a good option. That’s a sad outlook but you can understand where she is coming from.
