Courageous journey - Sophraya Price endures seven-year battle against life-altering medical conditions

For the past seven years, Sophraya Price has been putting up a fierce battle against a series of life-changing medical conditions, but she has no intention of throwing in the towel.

In addition to stiff person syndrome, a central nervous system disorder that causes progressive muscle stiffness, Price also suffers from conditions such as epilepsy, urinary and faecal incontinence, and lupus.

"My late father usually say, 'Don't ask God why, as there is a reason for everything'. But I had to question God about a lot of things. I had to question the reason I had to end up being in this position. I wanted to know if I did something wrong or if I was moving too fast with things in life," she told THE WEEKEND STAR.

Price, 26, admitted that she can become a tad envious when she sees loved ones celebrating wins, like getting married and having children.

"There are times when I tell myself that should have been me and it gets me down, and I may get in a state of depression, but not for long periods. But the future is tomorrow or within minutes, and things can change for me," Price continued.

Price was once a vibrant young woman who enjoyed athletics. After completing her studies at a community college, she enrolled at Northern Caribbean University and was looking forward to a bright future. But a mere three weeks into the first semester of 2016, Price's life took a drastic turn. She recalled falling in the bathroom and losing consciousness one night. Shortly after, she she developed a high fever. A series of tests she was diagnosed with several ailments, including epilepsy, autoimmune disorders, and other neurological conditions.

Although she has been in and out of the hospital and even lost her vision at some point, Price still managed to complete an associate degree in social work. She said she was keeping her fingers crossed that she could continue her studies, but her illness has placed a damper on that.

"I was planning on starting school last September, but none of the grants went through. I was hoping to start this month, but that didn't happen, either. It's a lucky thing, too, because I ended up back in the hospital. Basically, we are just concentrating on my therapy now, and I am trying to gain back my strength and a bit of mobility. It has been just treatments, doctors, and the same old stuff. It has been a really crazy world for me. It's no fun for me," she said.

Price said that she wanted to do a few courses at HEART/NSTA Trust, but her doctors advised that moving around is going to be complicated.

"The sicknesses makes me very weak and I sleep a whole lot, so trying to keep up is going to be very difficult. At this point, we are thinking about restarting a GoFundMe, as I am trying to get a motorised wheelchair, the one with a standing frame. I am not able to move my shoulders a lot as they are easy to slip out. The wheelchair will help me to get back my independence a bit," Price added.

Price stated that she has the full support of her immediate family including her mother and sister, but she longs for the days when she was energetic, independent and filled with life. For now, those are just wishful thoughts.

"Never in a million years have I thought I would have been in this position. I wish I was doing my regular stuff and being my athletic self, but now I can't do them. I can't even go out as I would want because I cannot sit up for long periods. Sometimes I wish I had more people like friends around, but everyone has their life to live and their family, so I know they don't have the time like that. No one really wants to go out with me a lot, because they may be afraid that I may get sick on them," she said.

Persons wishing to assist Sophraya Price may contact her at 876-799-6952 or 876-335-4379.