Nobody would ever suspect that our teacher Mrs. Porcher Scott has a rare blood disorder by just looking at her, but she does and it is serious. She raised our awareness of her “invisible disease” today at Open Forum.

In 2003, Mrs. Scott was diagnosed with a condition called ITP (immune thrombocytopenia). ITP is an uncommon blood disorder where a person’s blood has a low or extremely low platelet count. (Platelets are fragments of blood cells that are crucial to the immune system because they form blood clots to help prevent bleeding.) The average person has 150,000 to 450,000 per microliter, but Mrs. Scott has less than 50,000 per microliter. This means that if she got hurt, she could be sent to the hospital for a serious emergency involving internal bleeding.

After being diagnosed, Mrs. Scott was limited to a number of things she could and could not do. “I was scared I would have to live in a bubble,” she said. “How would I live my life?” She had to give up most sports. She is also not allowed to scuba dive or ride roller coasters because of the extreme pressure changes. Mrs. Scott tried multiple different treatments including having her spleen removed. The operation ultimately did not do her any good. “Now I’m one down on my immune system,” she told us.

Sadly, there is no cure for ITP, and doctors can not even explain the cause of ITP. For a long time Mrs. Scott felt alone, isolated. “I thought I was the only person who had it,” she told us. Then she discovered the Platelet Disorder Support Association.

Founded in 1998, the PDSA boosts the lives of people with ITP by raising awareness and educating the public about immune thrombocytopenia and various other platelet illnesses. Mrs. Scott now has her own community whom she can relate to and share her story with. She has been active in the leadership of the PDSA for 16 years, working tirelessly to improve the lives of people with ITP.

To show our solidarity with Mrs. Scott, we are all invited to wear purple on September 25, which is “ITP Awareness Day.”

By Sydney S., photos courtesy of Marsh Deane, MLNL Media

Elizabeth gives her mom a hug after Open Forum.