A woman with a skin condition that causes bruise-like rashes on her face is valiantly going make-up free. Nancy Morel, 19, has a condition which has baffled doctors, but maintains she will carry on embracing life.
She first noticed something was wrong with her skin when she was shopping with her mum, Jackie, 50, in 2015. Her lips looked swollen – as if she had been stung by an insect – and when she arrived at A&E at Milton Keynes University Hospital, Buckinghamshire, they suspected it was an allergic reaction to ibuprofen.
After being transferred to Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge, doctors still struggled to pinpoint what was causing her unusual symptoms. And despite countless tests, to this day no one has been able to diagnose the cause of the rashes.
In October 2021, Nancy suffered the worst break out she’d ever experienced on her face. She felt self-conscious and embarrassed, but battled on, inspired by her late father.
Just months earlier, in July 2021, dad Rick Morel, 64, had passed away after fighting bowel cancer. His courage gave Nancy the confidence to "keep going" and help others as "he never let his disease get him down".
Nancy, a content creator, from Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, said: “My whole skin flares up in what looks like rashes and bruises. It constantly feels like hundreds of needles poking in and out – it’s very sore. "I used to cover my skin up with make-up they use on film-sets to cover tattoos, but now I choose to not cover it up and embrace it.”
Nancy said of her condition: “The doctors and the hospital still don’t know what it is and the day before my 16th birthday I decided to stop trying new treatments as it was affecting my day-to-day life.” At first, medical staff suspected Nancy had urticarial vasculitis – a rare disease where blood vessels swell up.
She has tried countless treatments and spent years looking for a diagnosis, but nothing helped. Nancy, the youngest of eight siblings and twin to sister Tilly, added: “It started interfering with my everyday life - I felt tired and sick – it affected my behaviour and there were periods I couldn’t go to school.
“Luckily everyone at my school was amazing and no one had a bad word to say about my condition. They grew up learning about my condition with me.”
When the big flare-up occurred last year, she just remembered what her dad always used to say about PMA (positive mental attitude). "He never let his illness control his life."
Nancy can only use paracetamol to relieve the pain due to her allergies and has yet to try an ointment or cream that works. The teenager embraces self-love and uses her platform to help others with insecurities and skin conditions.
Nancy added: “I’m embracing and loving myself – I have thousands of girls and boys, men and women who message me to say I’ve helped them overcome their body confidence issues. I’m hoping to make social media a more inclusive space for everyone and that looking unique is a very special thing.
“I am beautiful even if I don’t fit the prescribed beauty standard and I want to help others to not let their conditions define them.”
