‘I dey fear to look mirror say fine girl like me don turn to anoda thing’

Wen dem born Violet, she no get any deformity and she dey grow up, she sef dey like di woman she dey grow up into.

Dis one fit be why she dey shock and in disblief wen life suddenly change as dem diagnose say she get one disease wey no get cure.

Now, 27, Violet dey suffer from one rare health condition wey dem dey call Sclerodema.

Sclerodema na one kain disease wey also dey known as systemic sclerosis, na group of rare diseases wey involve di hardening and tightening of di skin. E dey too affect women more dan men.

E no get cure but treatments fit ease symptoms, slow progression and improve quality of life.

How e take start

Violet siddon with BBC Pidgin as her parent watch on inside dia living room for di surburb of Delta state, south-south Nigeria.

She remember how everything about di moment wen things change for her.

Di young lady bin just dey finish her National Diploma for di Delta state polytechnic and dey think of wia to do her intership wen life strike her one blow.

She first notice one dark spot for her back,den her hands begin dey dark and dem become black well well. But, wetin she no know den be say, di dark spot na di beginning of di condition wey she go later learn say no get cure.

‘I just round up my National Diploma dat time for Delta state Polytechnic I just finish ND na im e take start. E Just start with some kain dark spot for my back and this my hand dark well well. Very black.” Violet tok.

As di disease dey grow for her body na so Violet phyiscal appearence dey change so tey she no too dey like wetin she dey become.

‘I feel depressed.’ She tok.

‘To even look mirror sometimes I go dey fear say fine girl like me I don change to another thing but as times come dey go on I come get to accept and love myself di way I dey.”

I feel depressed I no fit dey go out. I no fit dey do wetin I suppose dey do. Me wey be say I tok say I wan be model. I dey inside di house. I no fit do anything. School dey on hold since. I feel depressed.” Di 27 year-old further tok.

‘Doctor say e no get cure, but I believe say I go well one day’

Violet and parent begin dey carry waka go everywhere for di hope say dem go see solution but things no be as dem dem hope.

From hospital to herbal centre to trado-medical homes, no one fit tell dem wetin dey happun to her and how she go get well.

”We don go many places for solutions. We go different hospitals. Di first time dem no even dey see anything. All di hospital wey we go, dem go say dem no see anything, even herbal centre, some go say na wound, some go say may be I match poison. Some go say na juju. Some go say na family problem and all dat.” She reveal.

After plenti waka, Violet now don dey collect treatment for Delta state hospital.

”But now sha, we don dey take treatment for Delta State hospital, where I take dey see dermatologist.”

Even though doctor tell Violet and her parent say her condition no get cure, shae still beleive say one dey she go dey alright and she dey really hold on to dat belief.

”Di doctor say di sickness e no get cure but me I no believe for myself say e no get cute becos I believe say I go well one day.” She tok wit hope.

Wetin to know about Scleroderma

Scleroderma (sklair-oh-DUR-muh), also known as systemic sclerosis, na group of rare diseases wey involve di hardening and tightening of di skin. E also fit cause problems for di blood vessels, internal organs and digestive tract.

Scleroderma dey often categorized as “limited” or “diffuse,” wey refer only to di degree of skin involvement. Both types fit involve any of di other vascular or organ problems. Localized scleroderma, wey also dey known as morphea, dey affect only di skin.

While cure no deyfor scleroderma, sabi pipo say treatments fit ease symptoms, slow progression and improve quality of life.

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Anyone fit get scleroderma, but e dey occur much more often in women dan in men. Several combined factors appear to influence di risk of developing scleroderma