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Nats: Morphea

When I was fourteen years old I noticed a large white patch appearing on my back. I had recently been on holiday and had spent a lot of time sunbathing. Gradually more marks appeared down my back, on my tummy and under my breasts. They also changed to a dark, slightly shiny appearance.

I am now thirty-two and the marks have not gotten any worse or any better. The doctors were baffled at first. It was a few years before it was diagnosed as morphea, but the information I was given about the condition was very poor.

One thing I often wonder about is whether this condition could have been caused by a tetanus jab I had a few weeks before I noticed the first mark appearing.

Having morphea, badly affected me as a teenager. I was very conscious of my body and became very depressed about it. It has taken me a long time to come to terms with the way my body looks. I hope one day there will be an effective treatment.

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ISN Artist: Sherrill Knaggs (In Loving Memory)

Sherrill Knaggs, ISN Artist, created the digital photo to illustrate the story on this page. Sherrill lived in New Zealand. Her story was featured in ISN's book, Voices of Scleroderma Volume 2.

ISN Story Editor: Judith Thompson Devlin

Judith Thompson Devlin is the ISN Story Editor for this story. She is also lead editor of the ISN's wonderful Voices of Scleroderma book series!

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