Johanna Watkins is a 29-year-old from Minnesota, who has a very rare condition.
She is allergic to her husband.
And it’s so severe that he can only communicate with Scott via emails, texts, phone calls, and video chats.
The only thing closest to a real date is watching TV programs together from different rooms.
What Johanna has is a severe case of Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS), which is a genetic condition that causes body’s mast cells to build up and function improperly.
In fact, this syndrome is so rare that it’s only been discovered 9 years ago.
These cells react to certain triggers and release chemicals that overwhelm the body – leading to anaphylaxis, a life-threatening allergic reaction.
Because of MCAS, Johanna can’t hold her husband’s hand or kiss her husband, let alone be in the same room with him.
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Initially, though, her conditions wasn’t as severe.
In the past, Johanna could even go hiking with her husband, and go on grocery shopping.
But, everything changed few months ago when Scott came back home after getting a haircut.
“He came home and he showered several times and put a mask on and put on clothes that we keep in my room,” said Johanna in an interview with the People. “About two minutes after he came into my room, I went into anaphylaxis.”
That’s when they figured out that Johanna had become allergic to her husband.
It was truly devastating for the couple.
As Johanna recalled the moment she found out that she could not even be in the same room with her husband, she began to tear up.
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Although she is being treated by one of the most renowned doctors, Dr. Lawrence Afrin at the University of Minnesota hospital, Johanna’s condition has not improved just yet.
Despite various efforts to lessen her symptoms, Johanna’s body can only handle 15 foods as of now, and no one can use scented products around her.
Plus, the couple has been living in a friends’ home – with Johanna in an upstairs bedroom and Scott in the basement.
Now, however, Scott hopes to raise enough money to renovate their own house to make it safe enough for Johanna to live in. So, he created a Gofundme page, which you could also visit to learn more about their baggle against MCAS.
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