A man living with one of the world’s rarest conditions has revealed that his skin is so delicate it can tear from the slightest touch. Jeremiah Marshall, 33, suffers from epidermolysis bullosa, a genetic disorder causing his skin to blister and tear easily.
This condition has caused him significant physical and emotional distress throughout his life.
Jeremiah, hailing from San Diego, California, shared that he was labelled an “alien” by schoolmates due to his unique condition. However, as an adult, he remains determined to lead a fulfilling life and is currently training to become a breathwork facilitator.
Despite the challenges, Jeremiah’s parents continue to hold onto hope for a cure for their son’s lifelong condition. Jeremiah himself recounted the pain he has endured since birth, when the skin on his right foot was “torn off” during delivery, resulting in injuries likened to third-degree burns.
School proved to be another challenging environment, leading to Jeremiah being home-schooled. He said: “I sensed a lot of whispers of my appearance from kids. And they would make comments towards me that I looked like an alien,” reports the Mirror.
“I felt very alienated, no pun intended. I also felt very misunderstood, confused and frustrated. I never understood why they were mean to me even though I was nice to them.”
Jeremiah made the decision to branch out and make new friends but was soon diagnosed with skin cancer, leading to the amputation of his foot while he trained to become a trauma-informed introspective breathwork facilitator.
He recounted: “I had squamous cell carcinoma tumours removed from my elbow three times and skin cancer tumours removed from my foot. In the middle of my certification training, I had to get my foot amputated. Because I had three different types of bacteria, eating away at the tissue. The same foot that I had experienced a significant amount of trauma during my birth.”
Despite enduring tremendous hardships since his birth, changing his bandages every four days, Jeremiah remains optimistic about what lies ahead.
He shared his ambition to establish a non-profit organisation to offer support as he continues to battle the disease. He commented: “Once I become fully certified I want to create a not for profit organisation that offers breathwork therapy in exchange for donations to help me survive and cope with this disease. And a portion of my profits will go towards scientific research to find a cure for epidermolysis bullosa.”
For those living with the same condition, Jeremiah advises: “The mind is a muscle and it’s important to exercise it.We are not of the body but of the mind. Become just as involved in your inner world as much as you are involved with your outer world.”