VietNamNet Bridge - After a 26-year-old woman in Ben Tre, Nguyen Thi Phuong, was reported to age overnight, a 27-year-old woman from the central province of Quang Nam claims to have the same affliction.
Nguyen Thi Ngoc Mai, 27, in Cam Chau ward, Hoi An town, looks like a 50-year-old woman, but her voice and posture belong to a young woman.

Nguyen Thi Mut, Mai’s mother, told Tuoi Tre that her neighbors encouraged her family to seek help from local authorities for Mai after hearing that many people had come forward to help Phuong.

“Reading information about Phuong in Ben Tre, I cried. I thought that only I suffer from this strange disease,” Mai said.
Mai’s problems began when she was 12, with symptoms like itching, hives, swelling, and weight loss. Despite all efforts at treatment, her condition did not improve. Some people advised her to try traditional medicine, and it seemed to work. Her facial skin showed signs of recovering.

Mai said when her disease broke out, neighbors and friends believed that she committed with HIV and they tried to stay away from her. She had to quit school.

When she was 16, Mai learned tailoring and worked for a tailor’s shop in Hoi An town for seven years. The shop’s owner fired her when her disease got more serious.
In 2005, Mai met Tran Thanh Thuong, and got married to Tran Thanh Huong, a local and they have two children, who are in normal health. Huong is a motorbike taxi driver.

But her condition recurred in 2008 and has since been worsening. Mai is not very healthy now and she stays at home.


Tuoi Tre/VNE