For many people being diagnosed with Steven Johnson Syndrome (SJS) is not limited to the disease, but continues to impact their daily life afterwards. At McKinney Law Firm we are dedicated to keeping you up to date with everything you need to know about SJS.

Today we will share with you some stories of individuals affected by SJS and their stories. Our first story is about Dinushka. Before being diagnosed with SJS, Dinushka was blessed with beautiful looks and hair that were both negatively impacted by the disease.

Dinushka was diagnosed with SJS after the use of a simple, over the counter pain killer that contained ibuprofen. It was not the first time she had taken this medication, so when she experienced flu-like symptoms, she went to her physician who diagnosed her with simple viral conjunctivitis.

Soon after she went home, she began to feel a burning sensation in her skin. Then, not before long, Dinushka was in the hospital, unrecognizable to her loved ones. Her skin had been shaved off and she was wrapped, like a mummy, with bandages head to toe.

For Dinushka, the terror did not end there, she also lost her vision and could not see her parents when they came to visit her. The medical staff had warned the family her chances of survival were slim, and she would most likely not make a full recovery.

However, to everyone’s surprise, Dinushka recovered and accepted all her skin grafts and medications. Furthermore, her vision began to come back. It has been over four years since Dinushka was diagnosed, and today she continues to experience severe dry eyes, a chronic cough, and extremely sensitive skin.

Our second survivor is Gene Sauers, who was diagnosed SJS eleven years ago while he was set a front-nine record at the Boeing Classic in Snoqualmie, Washington. In 2006, Sauers shot a 30 through the tournament’s first nine holes, topping the 31-stroke record that had been held by more than twelve golfers since the tournament’s inception in 2005.

Initially, Sauers felt pain in his left shoulder that was misdiagnosed as rheumatoid arthritis. Doctors presumed with his career alongside symptoms, that diagnosis made the most sense. The first sign of SJS Sauers had was a black mark resembling frost bite on his arm.

Within a day of seeing the black mark, Sauers’ skin starting peeling and burning, and he was rushed to the Duke University Hospital. At this time the appropriate tests were run, and after the diagnosis of SJS, he was given a 25% chance of survival.

Luckily for Sauers, by 2011, he was playing professional golf again. He proceeded to win the 2016 U.S. Senior Open, and has been inducted into the Georgia Golf Hall of Fame.

The National Institute of Health (NIH) has calculated that the chances of disease recurrence in adults can be as low as 3%. Please, dear readers, if you have recently taken a drug, and you experience a flu-like syndrome with or without a rash, we urge you to rush to the emergency department. For all your SJS and malpractice questions, please contact us today.