Australian Teen Is Allergic to Water
Nineteen-year-old Ashleigh Morris is used to people thinking she is dirty.
After all, the young woman from Melbourne, Australia, can’t take a shower – she suffers from a rare skin disorder called Aquagenic Urticaria, which means she is allergic to water, it is being reported by the Daily Mail.
Since the age of 14, if Morris goes near water, she will break out in a painful rash.
Only a handful of cases are documented worldwide. Doctors believe she developed the condition after a heavy dose of penicillin altered her histamine levels.
In order to keep herself clean, Morris said she takes showers that last no more than a minute – and often the experience is so painful it makes her cry.
“Although the rash is unsightly, and often looks like I’m diseased, the feeling is so much worse than it looks,” she told the Daily Mail.
Otherwise, Morris is a healthy young woman, who is studying journalism and public relations in college.