Girl growing SECOND SKELETON leaving her wheelchair bound as muscles turn to bone
Whitney Weldon is suffering from Stone Man Syndrome
A brave graduate has spoken out about the rare disorder she suffers from that's fusing her body's muscles and joints into solid bone.
 
Whitney Weldon, 23, was diagnosed with the incredibly rare Stone Man Syndrome or fibrodysplasia ossificans progressive (FOP) when she was nine.
Unfortunately, it's progressively worsened and now even the slightest knock causes her joints to solidify and cease up. 
Stone Man Syndrome means Whitney's ligaments and tendons are turning into solid bone, forming a second skeleton on top of her original one.
 
Girl growing SECOND SKELETON leaving her wheelchair bound as muscles turn to bone
Whitney's muscles are turning into stone because of fibrodysplasia ossificans progressive
 
Girl growing SECOND SKELETON leaving her wheelchair bound as muscles turn to bone
The youngster was diagnosed with FOP when she was just 8 years old
A tiny proportion of the world's citizens suffer from the disease, with figures ranging at about one in two million people affected worldwide. 
Speaking about her condition, Whitney said: "I stay positive and don't think about my body turning to stone.
 
"I still go out with friends and I still drink. I just have to be careful to not injure myself because that causes it to happen quicker."
Whitney has limited movement in her arms and legs and is unable to move her head, she's wheelchair bound and requires help from a carer to wash and dress each morning. 
There is currently no treatment or cure for FOP, and it came out of the blue for Whitney who had been an active, happy child. The only sign of FOP were her second toes on both feet being longer than her big toes, which can be an indicator of the condition.
Speaking about growing up, she added: "I loved swimming and doing sports - I was always on my feet."
Aged eight, Miss Weldon was on a family skiing trip in Colorado, USA. She said: "I'd cracked my neck just before we went away. I thought I was fine and I just wanted to go on holiday.
"But after a couple of trips down the slopes, my back was hurting. When my parents looked, my back was all red and swelling up."
 
Her parents took her to hospital and she was diagnosed with FOP, and her world changed forever. 
"I wasn't allowed to do sport as school anymore. There were so many things I couldn't do that I used to love.
"I knew I couldn't fall over because that would make it worse, but even if I was in a room all day on my own, it would still happen."
By the age of 19 she wasn't able to lift her left arm higher than chest height and she was confined to a wheelchair after it attacked her hips.
Although Miss Weldon's FOP has progressed, she is hopeful about advancements in medicine.
There are medical trials taking place for drugs to block the formation of bone in FOP.
She said: "I don't think about the idea that one day I could be a statue but I know that medical advancements won't happen overnight.
"I just stay positive and live my life."

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