“I have photosensitivity,” she says. “It’s an autoimmune disease and is a mild cousin of lupus.”
The 27-year-old says her weight can go up by 6kg due to the condition.
“I get a lot of the lupus symptoms and when I’m in a flare-up, I burn, as if you’re holding fire to the skin,” Elizabeth says. “It’s hard for me to even be near a window.”
The jewellery-store manager revealed she also has to cope with judgment from her peers.
“I love the beach, so people say, ‘Well, why do you go to the beach?’ But when I’m not in a flare-up, I can go to the beach.”
The hardest part has been losing her hair and having to conceal it with extensions. “I just thought I was getting older, but when I was about 24 my hair just kept falling out,” she says.
Gluten and alcohol can trigger her condition.
“I’ve been completely sober since I was 24,” she says.
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