{"content":[{"text":"Patient Story \n Featuring: Mrs. Mary Northington \n By: Alexsaundra Zywicki","bbox":{"left":0.180984,"top":-0.003939,"width":0.6380319999999999,"height":0.117616}},{"text":"Mrs. Mary Summers Northington was first \n introduced to me as a Scleroderma warrior, leaving \n me eager to hear more about her journey. As she \n generously let her story unfold through back- \n and-forth emails, it made sense that she would be \n highly regarded by those around her.","bbox":{"left":0.385621,"top":0.203747,"width":0.5392420000000001,"height":0.14549600000000001}},{"text":"Attending the University of Buffalo Law School during building renovations \n and a harsh New York winter, she found herself challenged not only by \n academics, but also by the weather. She experienced Raynaud’s which caused \n her fingers to become cold and numb requiring her to wear battery heated \n gloves. Carrying heavy textbooks across campus also posed a challenge due \n to profound weakness in her legs. Several doctors were unable to provide a \n definitive diagnosis of her condition. When she was around 44 years old a \n physician friend recommended that she be seen by one of her colleagues, a \n rheumatologist, Dr. Edward J. Marine. He reviewed her records, took the time \n to order supplementary tests and disclosed that she had Scleroderma.","bbox":{"left":0.075163,"top":0.373444,"width":0.849776,"height":0.24246500000000004}},{"text":"At this time, Scleroderma was unfamiliar to Ms. Northington, so she assumed \n that it was something for which she could be treated and cured. Following \n her diagnosis, she was encouraged to continue with her usual daily activities \n and was treated for years with a medication called colchicine. As a result of her \n condition, she was granted 100% disability by the Social Security Administration \n where she was able to acquire benefits for her children to assist with her role as \n a single parent. At one point, she recalls her condition became so severe that \n she was hospitalized. By this time, her skin had thickened to the extent that she \n could no longer raise or bend her arms. Phlebotomists could not penetrate to \n take her blood. Most distressing was the fact that medical support staff who \n were unfamiliar with the disease rumored that her problems included mental \n issues. Upon discharge from the hospital, she was bedridden and required \n personal care while under treatment by Dr. Marine.","bbox":{"left":0.075163,"top":0.640111,"width":0.849778,"height":0.315192}}],"images_bbox":[{"left":0.094072,"top":0.140151,"width":0.2563,"height":0.223292}],"images_bbox_not_text_overlap":[{"left":0.094072,"top":0.140151,"width":0.2563,"height":0.223292}]}