Forty-two-year-old Musa Sümbül has suffered from psoriasis for 23 years. He woke up one morning with red patches on his skin, and the medication he was prescribed did not cure his ailment.
The tale of a Turkish man living with snakelike skin
4 Jul 2018 - 15:33
Forty-two-year-old Musa Sümbül has suffered from psoriasis for 23 years. He woke up one morning with red patches on his skin, and the medication he was prescribed did not cure his ailment.
Sümbül went to Turkey’s Antalya Medicine Faculty, and says that the medicine he was prescribed only aggravated his condition, and caused his skin to become scaly and infected.
Sümbül is unable to work because of the thick and tough layer which formed on his hands, arms, feet, ears, face and head. His ailment limits his muscle movement, and can even bleed with too much activity.
“I get by with the 1,500 TL salary paid to me by the government for my illness. I can’t work, and nobody gives me workemploys me to do anyway. My doctor told me three years ago that there was medication from overseas to cure my illness but that it costs between 25,000 to 30,000 TL. We could not afford the medication,” Sümbül said.
When I sit down at a restaurantraint, other patrons may leave. When I go out in public, people may look at me in the wrong way. I keep these all inside of mebury all these inside of me. I can’t even go out in public. I attempted suicide three times,” he added.
Due to his condition, Sümbül has never married, but says that he wants to start a family.
“When I ask for a woman’s hand in marriage, I am refused because of my illness. Even if I’m not refused, I would not be able to provide for my family because I do not work. I must first be cured from this illness before I get married. My illness has a cure, but I cannot getimplement it because it is expensive. I seek the help of good Samaritans and statesmen regarding this matter,” Sümbül said.
What is psoriasis?
Psoriasis is a skin condition that speeds up the life cycle of skin cells, causing them to build up rapidly on the surface of the skin. The extra skin cells form scales and red patches that are itchy and sometimes painful.
Story Code: 340905