He had to live in constant isolation due to the pain caused by contact with the outside world.
What for many is normal like playing with the dog or driving a car, for Paul Braithwaite, was an impossible dream to achieve.
He lived like this for barely 20 years until that week his heart stopped.
He was known as the “most allergic child in the world” for the terrible diagnosis he received. Paul suffered from ‘eosinophilic gastroenteropathy’, the first recorded case in the world since 1906.
This rare disease is prevalent in males and causes abdominal pain due to the infiltration of eosinophils (blood defense cells) in the gastrointestinal tract.
a world of suffering
The young man’s life was full of restrictions due to allergies.
“He just wanted to live a normal life. He wanted a dog, he wanted to learn to drive and drive around the block. He had a very complex set of needs and he struggled at every step. He has been in air ambulances, resuscitation and intensive care and nothing has brought him down, ”said his mother Kelly, quoted by El Universal.
The young man’s death occurred in Manchester, England. With a lot of suffering involved, but with the care of his parents he managed to reach 20 years old, although at that age he still wore clothes for children of 10 to 11 years old because his growth was stunted by the drugs.
“My son was ashamed of his appearance and how small he was. But his courage was unparalleled. He did not ask to be born like this, and I did everything I might for him, ”added his mother.
Paul longed to play with a dog like any child, to eat different types of food, to walk around the house barefoot, to go to the beach, the pool, or lay in the sun. For him, those small tastes represented a great danger to his health.
The young man had rashes, he vomited, all contact with outside life generated pain and discomfort, but he tried to be happy in the midst of his isolation.
“I was very lonely”
Understanding that his situation was almost unique, at least as far as what is documented, filled him with much suffering.
His dad added that to attempt some happiness for him, in 2012, he took him swimming with dolphins in Florida, something he enjoyed for a short time, but his endless allergies and medications sadly prevented him from doing much, the Mirror said.
The case has generated in science the challenge of continuing to unravel the causes that gave rise to the appearance of this cruel disease following so many years. The task is not easy, but advances in genetics might lead to the identification of the gene or genes involved in the immunological distortions that Paul suffered.
In the future, being able to isolate this gene would break the hereditary line of any rare or serious disease, an area of science that is in full growth. “I was very lonely, but I was happy that way. Life is too short. All he ever wanted was to be normal,” lamented his father, Darren Braithwaite.
The funeral of Paul, a young man in solidarity with many people throughout his life, will be held on July 18.
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