From: Scott Watkins
Statistically, couples that kiss more stay together. But for one couple this isn’t possible. Twenty-nine year old Johanna Watkins from Minnesota can’t even be in the same room as her husband, Scott. Johanna has severe Mast Cell Activation Syndrome, an extremely rare disease of the immune system. MCAS can cause allergic reactions (including anaphylactic shock) from just about anything, including her husband’s natural scent.
A typical date night for Scott and Johanna Watkins looks like this. From the attic, where Johanna has to live, she will set up the same movie as Scott, who is three floors beneath her. They will press play at the same time and and text each other about it while it happens.
It wasn’t always like this. Her MCAS wasn’t severe until about a year after their marriage. It started with coughing when they would get
Jen Jacobs Wedding Photography- Taken before they knew how severe her MCAS would get
face-to-face and eventually developed into anaphylactic symptoms from Scott entering the room.
“It was this horrible reality that it wasn’t going to work,” says Johanna. “I was now reacting strongly to my husband. Before this I had reacted to my parents, to many, many other people, but it was horrific when it became Scott.”
Johanna’s love life isn’t the only thing that has suffered. Her MCAS is so severe that she can only eat 15 different foods, that includes spices. She can only eat two different meals and Scott comes home everyday after teaching to cook and care for her. Scott says, “There’s not an easy way around this problem. I want to keep Johanna safe and me going to see her compromises her safety.”
“One of the ways I can take care of her now is by not going to see her. I’m not going to endanger her life. We’re absolutely committed to one another and we’re going to wait as long as it takes to see if there is some kind of healing.”
This couple is conquering all expectations by standing on the only leg they have to save them, communication. “Johanna and I are good at talking, we talk a lot, we try to communicate a lot, so one thing that we’ve found that’s helpful is just bringing each other into what’s going on in our lives as best we can because we’re not able to be together,” Scott explains.
They frequently visit doctors and have tried many remedies and medications. All have failed Johanna and Scott. As of right now, they don’t know if Johanna will ever recover enough to change their situation. Johanna says, “”On our wedding day we made vows to each other that till death do us part. No matter what life brought.
Johanna has even undergone chemotherapy with no results.
“I can tell you that even if I have this until I’m 90 years old, I would be committed to my husband with that vow and still love him.”
While they still get frustrated with their situation, they have learned to count their blessings and be thankful for what they do have, says Johanna.
“I’ve had to release a lot of what I expected for myself and I’ve had to accept what has been given to us,” says Scott.
To learn more about Mast Cell Activation Syndrome, click HERE.
Original story from: BBC.com
