My wife Amy suffers from a debilitating condition called Hidradenitis Suppurativa, or "HS" for short. Affecting up to 4% of the population, this potentially fatal condition is still almost unknown to most... since unlike higher profile ailments such as cancer (or even comparatively trivial conditions like restless leg syndrome*), it rarely receives the media coverage (and subsequent public awareness, medical funding, etc.) patients like my wife so desperately need. Why?    Before I answer this unavoidable question, I implore you: Please try to see past the surface of HS, to the human beings and their stories waiting to be told!    Due to the tragically grisly nature of this non-contagious skin disease, HS often goes undiagnosed for years because patients are too ashamed to speak with anyone. It is also a very difficult issue for which to garner public attention... A little reading will quickly reveal why.    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hidradenitis_suppurativa    To say the least, the pain can be difficult to manage. But my wife fights through it & finds her light in life by activly reaching out and helping others with the disease through their frequent bouts of acute depression.  

She is a soldier. She is a saint. I wish only for a worthy platform to salute her and to give voice to her cause; to raise HS awareness and to aid those in similarly desperate circumstances. Thank you Change.org!  

*From which she also once suffered