At only 23, this young woman from Gateshead, England is sentenced to spend her days between her house and the hospital. Because of her illness, Stephanie experiences periods of vomiting that can range from three days to a month. She was forced to quit her job and stop studying at university in 2011.
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One in 300 000 children suffer from this disease
Unfortunately, this disease hasno cure. It is characterized by nausea, migraines and stomach ache. Cyclic vomiting syndrome affects about one in 300 000 children, but few adults are affected by this disease. She told the Daily Mail:
‘ can be sick every 20 minutes when it’s at its peak and even in-between I sometimes gag and I have to stop myself from crying.
The first symptoms appeared in 2011
Thesymptoms began appearing in 2011 when Stephanie began to experience severe stomach pain and vomited blood. It took a few years to know more about the young woman’s illness because at first, the doctors could not understand what was causing the vomiting. Finally, in September 2013 she was diagnosed with this disease.
Sometimes Stephanie gets treatment at home but most of the time she has to go to the hospital, which induces additional costs since this disease is not recognized in England and is not covered by the NHS. She takes no less than 6 different medications each day to cope with the pain and avoid these episodes of vomiting as much as possible.
Despite these health problems, she has found a loving and caring partner, Paul Driver, who supports her and helps her in her everyday life.
