'My scaly skin is constantly peeling and growing, I've been called a monster but I feel unique'
Nathalie Richert was born with ichthyosis with confetti (IWC), a rare skin condition that has just 40 reported cases across the world. She has faced discrimination, name-calling and was even asked to leave a waterpark as a child, but she embraces the condition, telling PA: 'I get a lot of love as a result.
'Many times people treat me really well because they feel sympathetic. Fine, it's because of my condition, but who cares! People who have everything get bullied and someone will always be mean. But don't care about them, enjoy your life. The world can be beautiful.'
The 25-year-old from Kivik in Sweden explained that her red, dry and scaly skin grows at seven times the normal rate, making it peel almost constantly. The 'with confetti' part of her diagnosis means that her body is constantly trying to heal itself, leaving her with patches of normal skin dotted across in 'blossom' patterns.
She was born with the condition, looking slightly purple at birth, but did not get a proper diagnosis until she was 13. Doctors often dismissed her condition as bacteria or thin skin. She recalled: 'I always knew I was different.
'When I was a kid, I could never do things other kids were doing, like sleepovers, because I'd have to do my skincare routine, and I was always in a lot of pain and very stiff.'
During her school years, Nathalie was the victim of bullying with other children branding her a 'tomato', 'monster' or 'disgusting'. Because of the nature of her mother's work, the family moved often and Nathalie went to school in several different countries.
In Spain, she found it was also the adults pointing at her, but she still has hope in humanity, looking to the brighter side: 'They may have just thought I was very sunburnt.'
One of her biggest trials happened before her diagnosis when she was just 11-years-old. Nathalie went on a school trip to a water park but staff asked her to leave as other customers had complained that they did not want their children swimming in the same water as her.
She said: 'I felt really sad when they said that. I felt like 'okay… why me? Why can't I be here?' To think that people didn't want to be swimming in the same water as me, that was very difficult.'
Nathalie believes her challenging childhood has only made her more powerful, crediting her group of good friends too: 'I'm healthy apart from my condition, which I am very grateful for. Growing up has brought strength and I feel more powerful. I know my rights and I know how to take care of myself.'
Alongside the skin symptoms, ICW also causes fatigue, joint pain and sometimes excruciating burning pain that leaves Nathalie spending entire days in a warm bath with Epsom salts trying to soothe it. She's also unable to absorb vitamin D and has to be on supplements.
Eating sugar, wheat or dairy, and cold weather can trigger painful flares that make it hard for Nathalie just to get out of bed. The condition cannot be cured, but there are treatments to help manage individual symptoms.
On a normal day, Nathalie's morning skin care routine takes around three hours including a bath, shower, scrub, two full body creams, eye drops and various other steps. But the former graphic designer refuses to let it hold her back.
She said: 'We only live once, so I try to appreciate everything I have. I am very happy with my life. Conditions will make your life harder, people will say things, but they do not matter.'
Nathalie really got to see the good side of humanity after sharing some photos of herself on a modelling Facebook group in 2022. Several photographers reached out and she even ended up giving back to the ICW community.
She said: 'Someone whose daughter has the same condition got in touch, and that makes me very happy because I know how hard it was for my mother. I could reassure that lady that her daughter would grow up to be functional and healthy too, which was amazing.
'There are many moments when I have bad thoughts and feel insecure but, when I see those pictures, I do feel different, but I feel like I look cool and unique.'
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Glasgow Times
9 hours ago
- Glasgow Times
Consultant believed dispute over female changing rooms ‘was hate incident'
Sandie Peggie was suspended after she complained about having to share a changing room with transgender medic Dr Beth Upton at Victoria Hospital, Kircaldy, Fife, on Christmas Eve 2023. She was placed on special leave after Dr Upton made an allegation of bullying and harassment and cited concerns about 'patient care'. Ms Peggie has lodged a claim against NHS Fife and Dr Upton, citing the Equality Act 2010, including sexual harassment; harassment related to a protected belief; indirect discrimination; and victimisation. The tribunal resumed in Dundee on July 16 after an initial set of hearings in February. On Tuesday, Dr Kate Searle, a consultant in emergency medicine, said that Dr Upton was 'very open' about their trans status during a job interview, and had been out for around a year in August 2023, the tribunal heard. Dr Searle said that she had known Ms Peggie during her 11-year career at NHS Fife but was unaware of her gender critical views, and had asked Dr Upton 'if she was happy using female changing rooms' in August 2023 during an induction and 'didn't make any other suggestions'. She said she emailed equality lead Isla Bumba on December 8 2023 to ask if NHS Fife had a transgender policy but was told it did not. Dr Searle said: 'I asked her if she was happy using female changing rooms, she said yes, I had nothing else to add.' She said she emailed Ms Bumba as 'we've got our first transgender doctor working, there's very little information available', hoping there would be an NHS Fife policy on 'supporting transgender staff in their workplace', the tribunal heard. On her return to work after Christmas, on December 29 2023, Dr Searle read an email from Dr Elspeth Pitt regarding an 'upsetting interaction with another member of staff' and an email from Dr Upton from Christmas Day, alleging Ms Peggie had told her 'she can't be in the female changing room, it's wrong and lots of others feel this way' and 'she continued to tell me she is intimidated, she told me women have a right to feel safe', and made a comment about 'prisons', the tribunal heard. Dr Searle said: 'To me that was likening the situation to the Isla Bryson case that was very well publicised. Isla Bryson was a convicted rapist who was housed temporally in a female prison.' She said she was 'very concerned' and 'knew there wasn't an NHS Fife policy', adding that 'according to the hate incident policy it is verbal harassment', the tribunal heard. Dr Beth Upton arriving at the employment tribunal in Dundee for an earlier hearing (Andrew Milligan/PA) She said she had a meeting with Dr Upton at 5pm who was 'shaken and distressed', and they completed a Datix internal report together. Dr Searle said: 'We looked at NHS Fife's hate incident policy and recognised this required a Datix to be completed, so we completed that together, we discussed reporting the incident to the police as that's again what is recommended in NHS Fife policy. 'Beth said she would think about it, we looked at her shift patterns to see when she was next due to be in and if she felt safe to do that.' She added that Dr Upton 'mentioned two other incidents she had had with Sandie where she had felt the interaction was affected by Ms Peggie's feelings towards her as a transgender woman', and alleged that in one incident in a resuscitation unit 'Ms Peggie was doing nursing obs (observations) on a patient; when Beth walked in Ms Peggie left. Beth said 'do you want me to finish doing obs?', Ms Peggie said 'you can finish doing them yourself', and left the room', the tribunal heard. She alleged that another incident involved a patient in a suspected mental health crisis leaving, and said that when Dr Upton went to look for Ms Peggie, the nurse 'would only speak to her through another member of nursing staff', the tribunal heard. Dr Searle said: 'That would make me somewhat concerned for patient safety; in our team we need to communicate very well between ourselves to ensure patient safety.' She said she had spoken to the healthcare worker, and added: 'I asked if she recalled the situation and she was concerned about getting involved in any discussions about the incident because she said 'I am mixed race and I am worried about getting involved in this for my own safety'.' Counsel for both respondents, Jane Russell KC, said: 'What do you think she meant?' Dr Searle said: 'This legal case where there is a lot of press attention and any staff being involved in the case have felt under scrutiny and concerned that their views will be widely publicised when they wouldn't otherwise.' She said she completed the Datix as 'NHS staff must record all hate incidents' and added: 'We talked about reporting to the police, that's mentioned for hate incidents.' The tribunal continues.
Western Telegraph
10 hours ago
- Western Telegraph
Consultant believed dispute over female changing rooms ‘was hate incident'
Sandie Peggie was suspended after she complained about having to share a changing room with transgender medic Dr Beth Upton at Victoria Hospital, Kircaldy, Fife, on Christmas Eve 2023. She was placed on special leave after Dr Upton made an allegation of bullying and harassment and cited concerns about 'patient care'. Ms Peggie has lodged a claim against NHS Fife and Dr Upton, citing the Equality Act 2010, including sexual harassment; harassment related to a protected belief; indirect discrimination; and victimisation. The tribunal resumed in Dundee on July 16 after an initial set of hearings in February. On Tuesday, Dr Kate Searle, a consultant in emergency medicine, said that Dr Upton was 'very open' about their trans status during a job interview, and had been out for around a year in August 2023, the tribunal heard. Dr Searle said that she had known Ms Peggie during her 11-year career at NHS Fife but was unaware of her gender critical views, and had asked Dr Upton 'if she was happy using female changing rooms' in August 2023 during an induction and 'didn't make any other suggestions'. She said she emailed equality lead Isla Bumba on December 8 2023 to ask if NHS Fife had a transgender policy but was told it did not. Dr Searle said: 'I asked her if she was happy using female changing rooms, she said yes, I had nothing else to add.' She said she emailed Ms Bumba as 'we've got our first transgender doctor working, there's very little information available', hoping there would be an NHS Fife policy on 'supporting transgender staff in their workplace', the tribunal heard. On her return to work after Christmas, on December 29 2023, Dr Searle read an email from Dr Elspeth Pitt regarding an 'upsetting interaction with another member of staff' and an email from Dr Upton from Christmas Day, alleging Ms Peggie had told her 'she can't be in the female changing room, it's wrong and lots of others feel this way' and 'she continued to tell me she is intimidated, she told me women have a right to feel safe', and made a comment about 'prisons', the tribunal heard. Dr Searle said: 'To me that was likening the situation to the Isla Bryson case that was very well publicised. Isla Bryson was a convicted rapist who was housed temporally in a female prison.' She said she was 'very concerned' and 'knew there wasn't an NHS Fife policy', adding that 'according to the hate incident policy it is verbal harassment', the tribunal heard. Dr Beth Upton arriving at the employment tribunal in Dundee for an earlier hearing (Andrew Milligan/PA) She said she had a meeting with Dr Upton at 5pm who was 'shaken and distressed', and they completed a Datix internal report together. Dr Searle said: 'We looked at NHS Fife's hate incident policy and recognised this required a Datix to be completed, so we completed that together, we discussed reporting the incident to the police as that's again what is recommended in NHS Fife policy. 'Beth said she would think about it, we looked at her shift patterns to see when she was next due to be in and if she felt safe to do that.' She added that Dr Upton 'mentioned two other incidents she had had with Sandie where she had felt the interaction was affected by Ms Peggie's feelings towards her as a transgender woman', and alleged that in one incident in a resuscitation unit 'Ms Peggie was doing nursing obs (observations) on a patient; when Beth walked in Ms Peggie left. Beth said 'do you want me to finish doing obs?', Ms Peggie said 'you can finish doing them yourself', and left the room', the tribunal heard. She alleged that another incident involved a patient in a suspected mental health crisis leaving, and said that when Dr Upton went to look for Ms Peggie, the nurse 'would only speak to her through another member of nursing staff', the tribunal heard. Dr Searle said: 'That would make me somewhat concerned for patient safety; in our team we need to communicate very well between ourselves to ensure patient safety.' She said she had spoken to the healthcare worker, and added: 'I asked if she recalled the situation and she was concerned about getting involved in any discussions about the incident because she said 'I am mixed race and I am worried about getting involved in this for my own safety'.' Counsel for both respondents, Jane Russell KC, said: 'What do you think she meant?' Dr Searle said: 'This legal case where there is a lot of press attention and any staff being involved in the case have felt under scrutiny and concerned that their views will be widely publicised when they wouldn't otherwise.' She said she completed the Datix as 'NHS staff must record all hate incidents' and added: 'We talked about reporting to the police, that's mentioned for hate incidents.' The tribunal continues.
Scottish Sun
16 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
While you and I struggle with the real world, our leaders sit and ignore chaos in Unicornland
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And because anyone doesn't like what they get up to is welcome to sit on its horn and swivel. We see this attitude in First Minister 'Full-On' John Swinney's latest re-heating of an Independence policy which, were it a Tupperware of leftovers in your fridge, would long since have mutated into its own tiny population of furry bacteria who hate the outside world. We see it in the 67 days summer holiday our MSPs have awarded themselves while the country they're paid handsomely to run comes apart at the seams. We see it in the £10million-plus cost of keeping a cabal of NHS head honchos in Range Rovers while armies of sick and injured taxpayers suffer endless hours of misery in A&E queues or years of agony waiting for vital operations. We see it in the self-entitled behaviour of the minority of civil servants who must make their colleagues fume as they use pet cats and a lack of fresh air as reasons to refuse demands to work from an office. Perhaps most jaw-droppingly of all right now, though, we see it in the ever-mushrooming scandal of Sandie Peggie, the Fife nurse dragged through the courts because she didn't want to share a changing room with a biologically male doctor, Beth Upton, who identifies as a woman. So far, this travesty of a show trial, this embodiment of a breed of managers too terrified of their own shadows to display even a shred of common sense, has cost £220,000 in legal fees. Gender row nurse cleared of gross misconduct Once the employment tribunal which has been running in parallel with it is done, we can probably double that figure. Yet that's only the financial aspect. What will be so much harder to quantify is the monstrous waste of time and of energy, the positive work all those involved could have been doing all this time, the damage done to the mental health of both Nurse Peggie and Dr Upton over 18 tortuous months. And all because their bosses lacked either the savvy or the will – maybe even both – to sit the pair of them down and talk their problems through until they learned something from them. Not only would that have cost hee-haw, it might even have helped create a happier, more opem-minded workplace; an achievement that would, for me at least, have been priceless. History has failed to teach Israel's leaders LET us die of hunger, it is better. The plaintive words of a survivor after the latest brutal attack by Israeli forces on starving Palestinians queueing for food and water. After more than 70 died over the weekend – taking the total since a blockade on aid was lifted beyond 700 – Tel Aviv leaders claimed its troops 'faced a real threat' from crowds. Sure. When they have all the guns and the crowds barely have the strength left to walk. After the horrors Jewish people endured during World War II, the humiliation and the torture and the near eradication, I can't get my head round why Netanyahu's government now seem so hell-bent on wiping out their next-door neighbours in Israel's name. Does history teach us nothing? Or does it simply turn us into the thing that we once feared and despised? Instead? No sooner had Nurse Peggie been cleared of gross misconduct on Thursday than her employment hearing was re-starting on Friday. And halfway through that day's evidence, NHS Fife had the brainfart of all brainfarts and decided to release a 1,700-word statement that left her legal team without a name. They claim this attack was signed off on by their own lawyers, but not only did the KC acting for them in the employment hearing claim not to have seen it before it went live, it has since been edited twice to remove veiled suggestions that Nurse Peggie's supporters had threatened opponents with violence. Seriously, how do these chancers attain such a level of arrogance that not only can't they admit defeat and rethink their mindset, but they swagger straight back into another unwinnable fight? Paying fortunes to turn a he-said-she-said shopfloor rammy into a national news story has done not one person one shred of good – yet it seems this is the only way our politicians and pen-pushers know how to deal with anything, to lawyer up and chuck money at it. Scattercash attitude They wouldn't dare have the same scattercash attitude were they running a private company, with profits to protect and shareholders to keep onside. Yet as this farrago of a sham of a mockery proves yet again, they clearly see the public purse as Monopoly money. As political analyst Chris Deerin wrote in yesterday's paper, the SNP have long since lived by the motto of 'public sector good, private sector bad', with the people they shoehorn into positions of power within the civil service become untouchable; in return, naturally, for never questioning anything Holyrood does. This is a key reason why Scotland has 14 health boards – meaning 14 CEOs, 14 heads of finance, 14 HR departments and the rest – for five million people, while London has just five for almost double the population. This bloated level of over-management, in turn, is a key reason why hospitals can't afford to provide the the basic services its clinical staff desperately want to. And so it goes, through health and schools and local councils, from potholes to ferries to courtrooms and back again. Bottom line? While you and I struggle along in the real world, the ones calling the shots are drifting along in Unicornland, blissfully unware of the utter chaos they're causing. Or worse still, not giving the teeny-tiniest flying you-know-what. Finally the airline returned my bag! FILED last week's column on Aer Lingus losing my luggage for a week then went straight back into battle. Rang a call centre, asked when my gear was being returned and – as no one who read the previous rant will be surprised to hear - was told that 'once we have an update, you will be informed'. Ten minutes later, they emailed to confirm my bag would be flying the following day to Boston and then on to Denver. Well, dear reader, enough was enough. I googled the CEO of Aer Lingus, copied them into an email addressed to their head of customer services and firmly but politely explained my predicament. Four minutes after that? The phone rings and it's the their head of baggage handling, apologising most sincerely and promising that the wee fella would be arriving in Glasgow at 7.40 that night and would then be sent directly to me in a cab. At which point we'll skim over the fact that it was in fact the following afternoon and an argument with Glasgow Airport before it was finally dropped off. And concentrate instead on these very valid questions: What if the person whose trip had been ruined by a missing bag didn't have the clout of a newspaper column behind them? What if they didn't have the cheek to take their problem the very top of the tree? And why should it take such drastic action to attain such a basic level of service in the first place? Answers on the back of a used boarding pass to the usual address. In Glasgow, that is, not Colorado.
