A mother-of-three has received a devastating diagnosis after discovering blackheads in her mouth.
Claire Flowers’ sister, Tamara, took her to the local emergency department after noticing spots on the inside of her cheek.
‘That same day, bruises started to appear. He started getting a purple meningococcal rash that appeared everywhere,” Tamara said.
“He went to the emergency department and they took some blood and found he had little to no platelets.”
Claire, 39, was diagnosed with idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP), a rare autoimmune disorder that affects the number of platelets in the blood.
Claire Flowers, left, woke up one morning to find black spots on her lips and inside her mouth. Her sister, Tamara, appears in the photo on the right.
The mother of three, left, was diagnosed with idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP), a rare autoimmune disorder.
Tamara said ITP was a “lifelong disease.”
‘She won’t be able to work again. “If she falls and gets a bruise or a bump or something, she could bleed out,” she said.
“If he hadn’t gone to the emergency department when he did, he might not have woken up the next morning.”
Tamara said Claire’s life had been turned upside down in just one day.
‘He called me today crying because he doesn’t know how to deal with what’s happening. “She has three kids and she keeps the house, so all the bills, the rent, everything the kids need,” she said.
‘She is a school teacher for children with critical disabilities and loves her job, and from that she went to being bedridden. I can’t even imagine how she feels.
Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP): It is a rare autoimmune disorder that affects the number of platelets in the blood and one of the symptoms may be blackheads in the mouth.
The diagnosis means Claire (pictured in hospital) will not be able to work full time.
Tamara said Claire had plans for a 40th birthday party and a holiday to Europe before the illness took hold.
‘Claire is a very strong person and it is not like her to fall. And she has been through many difficult times.
“Mentally she is a very strong person, but obviously this is testing her.”
Tamara said a disease like ITP could seemingly come out of nowhere.
“What they classify it as is an immunocompromising disease and it’s horrible because it can affect anyone at any time in their life; it doesn’t have to be something you’re born with,” he said.
Claire is now taking high doses of steroids and oral chemotherapy. She will need to have a blood test every week to monitor her platelet count.
Tamara has started a GoFundMe page to help Claire pay rent and other expenses while she is unable to work.
“I’ve managed to get a little over $2,000 for her, which is fantastic,” he said.
“She is very grateful because she uses it to pay rent and buy food for her children.”