32-year-old US Woman Battling Rare Disease Connects Her Condition To Vampire

An American woman battling with a rare disease has captured attention for a haunting resemblance to vampire mythology. The name of the woman is Phoenix Nightingale, 32, she suffers from Acute Intermittent Porphyria (AIP), a rare metabolic disorder that leads to pain, vomiting, and neurological issues when she consumes sulfur-containing foods like garlic.

Phoenix, a mother of two, has experienced 480 attacks in her life. She shared in an interview with Jam Press, explaining how her serious condition shares some traits with vampire legends. She added that vampires are said to avoid garlic, stay out of the sun, have pale skin, and have receding teeth, connecting her illness to stories about figures like Vlad iii or Count Dracula.

For her, the conditions get triggered by sulphur, found in garlic, red grapes, soy, alcohol, and even coffee. One mistake in her diet can lead to painful attacks, causing her to vomit up to 60 times in just two days.

She also added that she has not eaten garlic since she was diagnosed. Following this, she added that she could never eat garlic bread as it could lead to an attack. Nightingale expressed in the interview that she lives in constant fear of triggering her symptoms. However, the most surprising part is that she was diagnosed with this disease last year after years of unbearable pain and medical consultations. She mentioned, “It took 31 years to get diagnosed, and I had to pay out of pocket and spend years running analytics on it”. She also explained her frustration that whenever she sees a doctor or visits a hospital, the doctors would google the condition to enquire what this disease is.

She even feels isolated because of the rarity of her disease and the lack of awareness among medical professionals. Living with Acute Intermittent Porphyria has completely changed her life, especially regarding food. She cited whenever she goes out for dinner unless she is aware of the place, she has to look at the menu and cry because she does not know what to eat.

Likewise, she has a clear goal as she wants to make changes in the medical community so that others do not have to go through the same difficult path to diagnosis.