City of Milledgeville proclaims August as Stevens Johnson Syndrome - 41 NBC News
Andre Williams wants to bring awareness to a rare yet deadly disease.
MILLEDGEVILLE, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — One Milledgeville resident is bringing awareness to a rare, yet deadly disease.
At first glance, you may just see a smiling man, but that's not the case for Andre Williams. In 2017, he was diagnosed with Stevens Johnson Syndrome. Williams spoke about his experience and how he felt in those moments.
"It basically made me question why this would happen to me, because I was so people friendly."
Williams was admitted to the Burn Center in Augusta for a month and was in excruciating pain. He recalls not wanting to see anyone at the time.
"While I was in the ICU, it made me feel nasty, and I say that because when people were coming to visit they had to wear gloves, they had to wear this plastic suit, and they had to wear the mask," said Williams.
According to Dr. Harold Katner, Chief of Infectious Diseases at Mercer University, there's a 90% chance of death if someone is diagnosed with the severe form of Stevens Johnson Syndrome. He explained how the syndrome affects the body.
"When you typically see it, they are often presented with a fever prior to developing the skin symptoms, then they start to develop these hard like leisuress in their skin followed by blistering."
After the death of his grandmother, Williams says she always wanted him to share his experience with others. So in her memory, he's hosting several events this month to share his experience and help others. His goal is to collect money to donate to the Burn Center in Augusta.
"Love and support is really what you need going through that hard time, and I want to help someone else who went through the same thing I went through."
List of Events:
- August 18- Awareness Walk at 9a.m. at County Courthouse
- August 18- Drag Benefit Show at 10 p.m.
For more information, you can reach Williams at (229) 375-7015.
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