A 15-year-old from Memphis has been fighting a mysterious illness for months. First, developing painful blisters and lesions in and around her mouth, then she chewed or swallowed food difficulty. It got to the point she's unable to eat and lost 30 pounds. She couldn't go to school because she was too weak. What gives?
Kennedy Odom was diagnosed with Steven-Johnson Syndrome, a rare skin disorder. Her mom, Cicely Odom-Rose wasn't convinced that's all for that. She and Kennedy's godmother browsed the internet for answers.
"Kennedy is my only child and just watching her suffer, you can't do anything to help your child and the people who are knowledgeable don't know how to help you," Odom-Rose told WMC Action News 5. "Here in Memphis everything is centered around food, so she would avoid eating and, of course, I would not want to eat around her,"
They traced Kennedy's symptoms centered around her mouth and got braces back in February 2015, then getting sick nine months later. They suspect the blisters and lesions must be triggered by her braces. Kennedy is allergic to nickel, commonly found in most metal braces.
Nickel allergy affects people of all ages. Usually develops after repeated or prolonged exposure to anything containing nickel. Avoiding the items with nickel and treatments can reduce the symptoms. However, once you have it, you will always be sensitive to the metal, according to news-medical.
Finally convinced, they had her braces removed "Where the nickel was touching her mouth, her mouth had the outbreak of these lesions," her periodontist said. Kennedy is having an on-going treatment by several doctors.
This is an on-going financial battle as well. Their medical debt for tests and prescriptions has already accumulated around $15,000. Even tiny medical details should never be considered unimportant - but crucial. So always let your doctors and dentists know.
