Mom Reveals What It’s Like To Have A Daughter Who’s Allergic To The Sun
There’s so much to be grateful for and so much we take advantage of each and every day without giving it much thought. How many times have I put on my shoes and walked out the door without a second thought? But not everyone has that privilege.
Take, for example, people who are allergic to the sun. Every day, they have to carefully asses what they wear and where they go to avoid painful blisters and reactions from the sun’s UV rays.
The condition is rare, but one mom from Australia is sharing what it’s like to live with it. That mom, Kate, has a daughter who’s allergic to the sun and currently undergoing treatment.
According to the Cairns Post, Sophie Gray was born with medical issues and was just eight weeks old when she was diagnosed with sleep apnea.
Sophie was put on oxygen and spent nearly 11 years relying on oxygen. When she was 11 years old, Sophie was able to get off of oxygen, but that wasn’t the end of her health problems.
Back in 2016, Sophie, just five years old at the time, developed a skin condition that her mom believed was eczema. Eczema is annoying, but it’s treatable and not a huge deal in most cases. To help her skin condition, Kate took Sophie to the beach in hopes that the ocean salt water would help but it only made things worse.
According to the Cairns Post, Kate said that Sophie was taken to the doctor and diagnosed with “actinic prurigo which is an allergy to UV.”
“She’s basically allergic to the sun,” Kate added.
While there’s no cure for actinic prurigo, the condition can be managed and Sophie is currently being treated with phototherapy.
According to the National Library of Medicine, phototherapy works to treat a variety of skin conditions by exposing the skin to UV rays. For Sophie, the goal is to harden the skin and desensitize it to the sun’s rays.
As you might expect, treatment and care for most medical conditions in the United States can rack up quite a bill and Sohpie’s case was no exception. Thankfully, a charity known as the Ronald McDonald House stepped up to help pay for Sophie’s care.
According to News.com.au, Kate said that they stayed in a treatment facility for eight weeks and didn’t have to pay for accommodation, thanks to the Ronald McDonald House charity.
Kate added: “We have made many friends from RMHC which has made a terrible time a wonderful time, they have had some great times in the house and made some amazing memories, Christmas dinners, visits from the miniature horses, zoo passes, and the therapy dogs that visit. It’s our home away from home, we feel like we are arriving at our holiday house when we arrive.”
