Pinky - Jiu Jitsu Enthusiast! / Behcet Disease
This is Pinky, who is from the Philippines, grew up in Dubai, and now resides in Brasil with her husband! She is a Jiu Jitsu enthusiast and Behcet Disease warrior. Behcet Disease is a rare condition that causes inflammation in blood vessels all over the body. The symptoms of Behcet can be numerous and seemingly unrelated, which is why Pinky was uncertain as to when her symptoms started since they were not all at once and didn’t seem to belong to one disease. In late 2014, the symptoms worsened leading Pinky to several doctors and eventually a rehumatologist, in which the Behcet disease was confirmed with a pathergy test. “It’s tough living with it, because of the constant pain, then you have the tiredness and the brain fogs. And the worst is trying to explain how it affects you since it’s not something that is visible”. This is something many people understand and experience on a personal level - just because your rare disease cannot be seen, doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be empathized or understood! Jiu Jitsu provided Pinky with physical strength as well as inner, using her training to motivate her to get up every morning and get stronger, internally and externally. Through Jiu Jitsu competing, Pinky hopes to show others they can do anything, create awareness, and be heard so that those affected by Behcet and not knowing it, like she was at first, can find support and help to come to a diagnosis. Although rare in pediatric cases, Behcet still occurs and we are happy to help fund the education and research of this rare disease through the nonprofit Global Genes, with every Fenrici purchase. Fenrici believes that every rare disease should have its own voice and until then, we want to speak on the warriors of rare disease’s behalves. Thank you Pinky for sharing your story with us! We wish you well in your Jiu Jitsu endeavors and hope it continues to strengthen you inside and out to battle Behcet!