A British woman suffers from an allergy that affects one in 230 million (4 photos)

Kendall Brice, 25, has aquagenic urticaria, a rare condition that causes her skin to swell and blister when exposed to water. When she showers or gets caught in the rain, she feels like someone has "taken a lighter to my body."





The Durham, UK, mother of two children, suffers from excruciating pain. Her life has become a daily struggle. Aquagenic urticaria affects only one in 230 million people.

Doctors haven't found a cure yet that would help Kendall.



"I can only take a bath or shower twice a week because of the pain. So I'm constantly worried about the bad smell coming from me. My life depends on the weather, and I have to avoid rain and even hot, humid days. I check the forecast every day and stay home if it's raining or about to rain," she says.

"I can't bathe my one-year-old son, my mother has to do that. And I even feel a burning sensation in my throat when I drink water."





Kendall says the pain has gotten worse over the past few years: “When it first started, it felt like I was being slapped with nettles. But now it feels like someone has taken a lighter to my body. It’s excruciating. After I bathe, I suffer for about half an hour, crying the whole time. It’s so bad that I can go into shock, which is very dangerous. So my mom sits with her grandson while I’m in the bath.”

Kendall first encountered her condition when she was 15. Every time she had a bath, her skin would break out in hives. At first, she was able to control the symptoms with an antihistamine, but over the years it got worse.



In 2021, she was referred to a dermatologist at the University Hospital of North Durham, who diagnosed her with aquagenic urticaria.

“They’ve tried lots of medications, but I’ve never responded well to them. Unfortunately, they haven’t found anything that’s worked for me yet. We’ll be back at it again after the baby is born. I just want to live a normal life: go out in the rain, shower and give my son a bath.”