Johanna Watkins, 29, has an extremely rare immunological condition which means she’s allergic to almost everything, including her husband Scott.
She was a newlywed when she was diagnosed with the condition called cell activation syndrome (MCAS) and is now allergic to sunlight, most food, and people too.
This means she’s been forced to stay away from Scott, who she married in 2013.
The couple have to Skype each other from the same house as Johanna is stuck in her bedroom which has been sealed off with a plastic sheet.
“The windows in my room are covered with sheets and blinds because I react to the sun. The only time I leave my room is to go to one of these appointments, the hospital, or the ER,” she said on her Caringbride page. “The hardest thing is getting a glimpse of the real world and then adjusting to being alone again.”
Johanna and Scott used to be a very active couple and loved hiking before the shock symptoms and subsequent diagnosis.
She is now so sensitive to smells that all cooking has to be done at neighbour’s homes and survives off a diet of ground lamb, chuck roast, cucumbers and carrots and only drinks water.
The couple wear masks to see each other and can’t even hug without hurting Johanna.
Scott told Fox 9: “I can’t get too close. I can’t hug her safely. I can’t hug her without hurting her.”
The syndrome is typically treatable but Johanna’s is so severe that doctors are still looking for a successful treatment. So very sad. We hope doctors find something to help treat Johanna and make her life a bit more bearable.
