Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progessiva

The title of this post is the name of a very rare affliction that turns human muscle into bone, a condition that literally, over the course of time, turns the sufferers into a statue. The malady is so rare that there are only 200 reported cases in the world.

Luciana Wulkan, Robert Kinghorn, and Adrian Berry are all featured in an online article and suffer from this disease. Luciana, Robert, and Adrian are among the 45 people diagnosed with the condition in the United Kingdom.

Professor Paul Wordsworth explains one of the more shocking ramifications of the condition by stating, "As Luciana's condition escalates, she may contort and freeze into a set position. If she's lucky she may be able to choose that position for herself, if she isn't her body will choose for her. Professor Paul Wordsworth explains that as an individual gets more and more ossification of the muscles they may have to make a very difficult decision about what they do with their life. Basically, before the body locks completely they must decide if they will spend their life sitting or standing."

Here are some various photographs of the condition.

IFOPA is an non-profit organization set up to support people and families afflicted with Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progessiva.

FOP awareness bracelets can be ordered here.