Marian’s Story

My life came to an extreme halt in January 2011 when I experienced a severe allergic reaction to eye-drops.

Within 30 minutes of applying the drops, blisters started coming up under my feet and my whole body. I normally have a high threshold for pain, but this was a different kind of pain; as if I was burning from inside out. I held off calling for help, hoping it would pass, but then my airways started to close. That’s when I asked my mom to call the ambulance.

My initial thought was that this was just another ordeal and I will overcome it. I was born 4 months early and weighed 1 pound; moved from Atlanta to the UK when I was 8; and faced various medical surgeries and ordeals and have come through them all.

By the time I got to hospital, my skin and fingernails began to completely peel off, leaving me unrecognisable. I was throwing up blood. At the time the Swine Flu epidemic was at large and consequently I was put into isolation, making the experience all the more terrifying. My condition was so severe that I was put into a medically induced coma for a month while doctors treated me.

Luckily, one doctor recognised these reaction symptoms as the rare Stevens-Johnson syndrome, a serious skin disorder affecting the skin and mucous membrane, which can cause blindness and even death in some cases.

When I woke from my coma in March 2011, I chose to have a change of mind-set, as I was grateful to still be able to see and communicate. I was grateful that I was alive and I had a fantastic group of friends and family, particularly my mother, who I could draw on for support.

Recovering from SJS has been an ongoing process. I’ve been under the care dermatology and ophthalmology specialists at The Royal London Hospital. I am so blessed I did not need to have skin draft done or eye surgeries. My skin has healed well, but from time to time I get blurry vision.

After my release from hospital I still pursued my passion and I studied early years at undergraduate and postgraduate level, becoming focussed on amplifying the voices of young people. I started a charity, ReachOut2All, to support young people and became a motivational speaker.

Alongside this, I documented my physical recovery from my illness with photos day by day as my skin was healing. I attempted to research my expected recovery but began to struggle with the lack of information on what to expect from my journey as there was very little documentation of the healing process on different skin tones.

Therefore in June 2020 I went public with my story and began my photography campaign ‘My Scars Tell a Story’, the key aim of which was to normalise scars and remind people not to give up hope while on their recovery journey. People can share their scars with me on Instagram @myscars2020, or by using the hashtags #MYSKIN #MYSCARS #MYSTORY.

Since then my campaign has been featured in multiple articles and I have represented many top skin organisations. I have also made an almost complete physical recovery from the ordeal, with brand new hair, skin and nails!

I am honoured and excited to be an Ambassador for the Scar Free Foundation.

Remember, scars are not just physical – scars can be psychological, emotional and funding for research in to all the problems of scarring is needed.