I just witnessed a chilling real life documentary on a 37 year old man who was born with a skin condition which meant constant pain throughout his life as the meerest touch would make his flesh come off.

 

I swear, watching this changes your life, and it was on Channel 4, it ended at 10. The guy was so crippled, and at first was terribly hard to look at but you got more used to it as the documentary went on.

 

It showed him just wearing a pair of shorts, sitting on his bed. *Disclaimer- you may not want to read this its a filthy discription. Most of his skin was pale white from only the flesh on top being ripped off by him just wearing clothes, but there were parts of his body with his raw red body exposed, the top of his skull was exposed and infected scabs surrounded the top of his skull. His hands and legs werent functionable- skin had rolled off his wrist and arms and healed over his limbs so the end of his arms resembled somewhat of an animal, like the hooves of a goat.

 

Everything he did was constant suffering, but what was amazing was how strong this guy is. He was totally down to earth, he could speak for himself, he was very clever, not just for someone with a disability.

 

It does make you re-think your life. You watch 55 minutes of his brief life story and you forget about how life is for us lucky people, and at the end of the show he briefly mentions "Im a 37 year old virgin and Im ready to leave this world" and I just thought, fuck, he is a human being too, he hasnt had sex before and of course its physically impossible. Yet he remained to have a smile on his face, and to keep happy. Sex is just one of the many things he missed out on, but he lived on.

 

When life is hard, or your job is tough, or lack of sex, it seems like such an important thing to me or others, you do have to remember at the end of the day charisma is all you need to get through anything, most importantly, looks mean nothing.

 

This guy parachuted and went on a glider jet, hes done so many things, and at the end of the documentary, his last few words are "Ive gone through so much suffering, but now its my time to go, and I know I'll be up in the clouds, well, I'm off". And then, it shows him in the coffin, after he finally took the end of his life through choice, it was impossible for him to live on much longer, and his life just ended, like that.

:)

 

There's also two threads in the arts and ents forum with following links

 

http://www.debra.org.uk/help/jk.htm

 

http://www.channel4.com/health/microsites/B/boy_whose_skin_fell_off/index.htm

 

terrific documentary :)

Thanks man, yeah it was brilliant.

aaaawww! I think I've read about a disease that is very similar a couple of times, and to be honest it doesn't shock me.

 

As we are "normal" I know that by a biologycal thing, there is people who is not, and there are some cases which are EXTREDIMELY different to us.

 

I do not feel sorry for them, at all. I don't think you should feel sorry for people who does not give up. I hope people will understand what I am trying to say, and will not malinterpretate my words. Everyone's life is hard, and it's like a trivial thing to say, but it's true.... well what I've seen, not really, well let's stick with the "true" thing. What some people do not "have" on physical strength, they have it on persistance, personality and so, and I think, and it's totally MY personal opinion, that If you start to feel sorry for them, and treat them as especial, you make them feel bad. They know that they are different, but they want to be treated as a "normal human being" (pardon me for that really!) and ... well you asked them, how do you cope with it? And they'll probably gonna tell you that just like everyone else, but in their own way (that doesn't sound very consistent)

aaawwww I don't even know what I was trying to say, but ..... I got too used to you adjust to me, pardon, pardon me, we are both meaningless but uh........ it's okay, it's okay.

WOW :o

 

Sternly wrote two whole paragraphs w/out the use of ALL-CAPS! :stunned:

 

where did the sun rise this day? :wink3: :lol:

:)

DEBRA will be on the map from now on, which can only be a good thing

I can write without caps, especially when a thing interests me.

 

But let's stick to the topic, please. :)

well said Sternly :D

 

i agree that we shouldn't feel sorry for people who do now give up.

in Jonny's case, he had such an amazing spirit and a sense of happiness and acceptance...

 

 

it's amazing how much situations like these make you realise how incredibly lucky you are

Or what an incredible miserable you are! :)

yep, well...such handicaps in other people evokes various emotions in me, depending on my mood at that time....but mostly, since these are all mostly people with "fighter" spirit, I admire them and their courage!

 

our local PBS (public tv) channel has an amazing show on such issues...it always inspires me! :smug:

Or what an incredible miserable you are! :)

 

haha exactly!! :lol:

thats so sad. but kudos to him for being so strong. its sad though because right now ill say how lucky i am and than tommorow ill whine about something i want and dont have. its horrible horrible habit that human kind no matter how hard they try cant get rid of. :/

I cant help but feel sympathy for the guy, because he had a lot more to go through then I ever did. Its the same way of feeling sympathy for anyone who grew up poor, or without a parent.

 

This guy was unfortunate from birth.

 

Thats not to say I'd treat him or people like him like fucking vegetables, but I'd still feel sympathy.

Wow! That sounds like a really interesting documentary. Will they be showing it Canada anytime soon? :stunned:

I think he is a good example for whatever happens we should live our lives as perfect as we can:)

;)

woah yeah it was one of the saddest documentaries i've EVER seen, to see a human in so much pain.......

I thought it was quite uplifting.

 

Sweet One, it was narrated, produced and directed by English people so its rather unlikely to be shown in Canada, unless you have those funny satelite channels and happen to see it on.

 

Maybe.

oh...no satellite thingy for me. :embarrased:

hi ya sweetun! :cool:

bonjour!

comment allez vous? :D

:dozey:

 

hahaha...don't quite know what that means. :lol:

Je m'appelle le grande fromage.

inspiring all i gotta say