
By Martin Ruffell
THIS WOMAN has been compared to a ZOMBIE by strangers because of a rare skin condition caused by her PERIOD that makes her skin peel off.
Regional nurse, QāLonda Harden (26) from Alaska, USA, suffers from a rare disorder called Stevens-Johnson syndrome, a condition in which the bodyās immune system overreacts to a mild infection, taking a new medication or in QāLondaās case, simply being on her period.
Q’Londa’s natural hormone surge at the start of her period, leads to blisters forming from head to toe all over her body. These then eventually burst causing her skin to turn black and peel off. For QāLonda, the pain is unbearable and something she wouldnāt wish on her worst enemy.ā

The 26-year-old was diagnosed with the disorder when she was just 16 by an allergist and specialist. Since then, her bodyās reaction to flare-ups has only got worse and although QāLonda is on the birth control pill to manage her hormone levels, this hasnāt always prevented her from developing symptoms. A flare up in June 2020 caused by a sharp increase in hormone levels during her period left her with no skin on her vaginal and anal regions and it was the first time that her breasts, neck, thighs and legs were affected. Q’Londa was hospitalised for four days, where she received pain medication, IV fluids and care from nurses who tended to her blistered raw skin.
The condition has not only affected QāLonda physically, but also mentally and she frequently questions why she has been chosen to go through this. Whilst currently in a happy relationship with boyfriend Ashton (28), QāLonda admits that her condition has freaked out previous boyfriends.
People stare at QāLonda whenever sheās out in public after a flare up and comment, āwhat is wrong with her skin?ā ā with one stranger telling her nobody would ever love her because of how she looks.

āThis has been the most painful and embarrassing experience ever. It’s getting worse every time I have a reaction,ā Q’Londa said.
āIām stuck in a cycle of trying to avoid my triggers to keep my skin on my body. It has been a few years since Iāve had a really bad reaction but the latest one has been really hard on me.
āI know a reaction is happening because it feels as if someone has set my body on fire. There is a constant feeling of burning and stretching.

āMy eyes, lips, ears and vagina swell up. My body becomes covered in blisters, the blisters pop, my skin then peels off.
āPeople tell me that God made me this way which is absolutely true, but no one likes to walk in public and look like this. Letās be real.
āThereās no cure and because my triggers are hormone induced thereās not much I can do about it. Iām a woman and we all have hormones in our bodies.

āI just want to tell people; when you see someone who looks like me, you clearly donāt know what theyāre going through.
āIt’s already hard enough for me to get dressed and walk out of the door to the grocery store without people staring at me like Iām a frickinā zombie.
āPeople have said āwhatās wrong with herā, āEww, why are you covered in scars?ā and āNo one is going to love you looking like this.ā

āAt first the comments hurt and made me sad and embarrassed. But I have to realise there is nothing I can do about it and you donāt know these people so who cares. You probably wonāt see them again anyway.
āI already know I look crazy. I wake up every day and see myself in the mirror, so I donāt need the added comments I receive.
āI need people to have more empathy and respect for other people like me.ā

Although stuck in a cycle of trying to avoid flare ups and doing her best to recover quickly when they do happen, QāLonda has tried to remain positive.
As for the future, the treatment options are limited. However, giving QāLonda low doses of chemotherapy has been suggested as a potential option and she is willing to try this. This would work putting her in early menopause, keeping her from having a period and would theoretically keep her from having future reactions to her hormones.
āMe sitting feeling sad and depressed about this isnāt going to make it go away so I choose to try and find the silver linings in this situation,” Q’Londa said.

āI crack jokes and my siblings pick on me because youāve got to make the best out of a bad situation.
āWe joke about me being part zombie and that my skin on my face keeps re-healing and that itās natureās way of giving me a free face lift. Thatās why I look so young.
āFor it to be ten years later and nothing has changed is hard. Theyāre throwing the idea around of freezing my eggs and putting me on low dose chemotherapy to put me in menopause.

āThis would shut my body down and keep me from having a period and would keep me from having future reactions.
āIām excited to see a doctor who deals with my condition. Iām excited what steps we will take next.
āAt this point Iām open to any and every suggestion because I would not wish this upon my worst enemy.
āThe positive comments I receive make me feel happy and loved. They make me feel like Iām just like everyone else.ā