Mandy Sellars British woman with a rare form of Proteus syndrome Date of Birth: 20.02.1975 Country: Great Britain

Biography of Mandy Sellars

Mandy Sellars, a British woman, suffers from a rare form of Proteus syndrome. There are currently around 120 people worldwide with Proteus syndrome, and Mandy Sellars is one of them. Doctors struggled for a long time to accurately diagnose her disfiguring condition, eventually settling on Proteus syndrome, although they noted that some of the observed symptoms were not typical of the disease. Similar to the most famous case of Proteus syndrome, Joseph Merrick, also known as the "Elephant Man," Sellars cannot hope for a cure as Proteus syndrome has yet to be conquered by medical professionals. While Merrick's syndrome affected his entire body, distorting his face into a horrific elephant-like mask, Sellars' lower body is affected. Above the waist, Sellars is a slender and fragile woman, weighing only 38 kilograms, while her lower half resembles that of a giantess, with her legs weighing approximately 95 kilograms. Proteus syndrome manifested in Sellars immediately after birth, and doctors initially doubted that she would survive for long. However, Sellars not only survived but also managed to adapt to her condition to some extent. Despite facing difficulties, she began to walk at 18 months old and overcame all challenges with remarkable stoicism and confidence. The support of her parents played a significant role, and Sellars admitted that she fully realized her difference from other children as a teenager. At the age of 19, Sellars left her family home and immersed herself in adult life. She obtained a bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of Central Lancashire and now lives alone without constant assistants. Despite the need to move around her home strictly in a wheelchair, Sellars manages to handle all household tasks independently, including cooking, cleaning, bathing, and dressing. Of course, if she needs assistance, Sellars can easily receive help from her family and loved ones. The malicious Proteus syndrome did not make Sellars surrender to its persistence. At the age of 28, a severe deep vein thrombosis caused Sellars to lose control over her lower body, and it took her two months to regain mobility. She bravely faced this setback and, once the paralysis was gone, Sellars literally learned to walk again. However, her hardships did not end there. Three years later, Sellars suffered from a blood infection, kidney failure, and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Partially amputating her giant limbs could have solved some of Sellars' problems, but performing surgery on such large body parts proved to be extremely challenging. In 2008, Sellars traveled to the United States, where orthopedic surgeon William Ertl and master prosthetist Kevin Carroll assured her that they could partially help her condition. In 2010, Sellars had her left leg amputated just above the knee, and a documentary film was made about the operation. It was the worsening health issues that finally convinced Sellars of the necessity of the surgery. Twenty-two months after the operation, the amputated limb began to grow back at an incredible rate, ultimately crushing the prosthetic device installed by the American specialists. Currently, Mandy Sellars is undergoing a new course of treatment as medical professionals in Cambridge attempt to develop a drug that can stop the uncontrolled growth of her limbs.