Ashley Jernigan, 35, has a rare genetic disorder called neurofibromatosis that leaves her body covered in thousands of tumours. The single mum-of-four says she receives abuse from strangers who assume she must be contagious and worries that she’ll never find love. Ashley, from Montgomery, Alabama, was diagnosed with neurofibromatosis when she hit puberty and has developed thousands of tumours all over her body in the years that followed.
Ashley said: ‘With this condition, you can still live life like any other normal person. ‘Everybody is different. ‘It’s just the bullying you have to deal with. It takes a strong person to overcome what people say. ‘It’s hard, it’s really rough, and depressing.
‘When I go out, people stare and make rude gestures. ‘They say “look at her, where did she come from and what’s wrong with her”. ‘I don’t want to date because of the stares. A man wouldn’t accept me. ‘It would take a strong man to appreciate me for who I am and look past my condition.’
Neurofibromatosis is a genetic disorder which causes tumours to form on the nerve tissue and affects one in 3,000 people.
