Meet a 32-year-old woman who is gradually turning into a human statue due to an extremely genetic condition, Peachtree City, Georgia, USA.
Ashley Kurpiel suffers from Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva (FOP), which affects just one out of every two million people. It causes muscles, tendons, ligaments to spontaneously turn into new bones and is currently have no cure.
The disease is incurable, and eventually results in death
Ms Kurpiel was misdiagnosed with cancer when she was just two-and-a-half and even had her arm amputated. But five months after the crucial operation the doctors said that the tumour they thought was a carcinoma was actually a sign of FOP.
“I am growing a second skeleton in a sense, becoming a human statue physically. Many others living with this lose all mobility, head to toe, and their jaws have locked shut. At 25 I lost mobility in my right leg and had to learn to live life and how to move around.
A disease causes damaged soft tissue to regrow as bone
I don’t know how much longer I will have movement in my body, so I want to experience as much as I can now. I’ve been blessed to meet so many truly amazing people, especially the Dalai Lama. I attend many events all year round and talk to other people who are suffering.I spend a lot of time on social media answering messages that families send me regarding FOP and I try to help as many people as possible. I look for the positive side of things – I’ve had my hardships and never know what the next day will bring, but I take each day as it comes.”
She travels the world, goes surfing every year, and her friends have helped her skateboard for the first time
The condition arises from a mutation of the body’s repair mechanism. In many cases, even the slightest injuries can cause joints to become permanently frozen in place. Surgical removal of the extra bone growths causes the body to “repair” the affected area with even more bones.
The disease is incurable, and eventually results in death when the cartilage holding the ribs together also solidifies, making it impossible to breathe. Patients eventually suffocate or suffer a cardiac arrest as their bodies attempt to get enough oxygen.
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