While most people worry about reeking of B.O. this summer, one 22-year-old woman has a lot more to be concerned with year round. Cassie Graves suffers from Trimethylaminuria, a metabolic disorder that prevents her from breaking down an ingredient called trimethylamine and in part makes her smell like fish.
Graves likens her smell to rotting fish found at a food market and says it's affected her whole life. That has to be so difficult to live with!
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The smell reportedly comes out of her hair and skin and is released through sweat, urine and her breath. Even worse, Graves says she is unable to smell herself and she lives in constant paranoia. It all started when she was just 3 and her sister, whom she shared a room with, complained of the smell. "My mum presumed she was just being the standard grumpy older sibling and ignored her. However gradually, the smell became so strong that noone could deny it," she said.
It took many doctors visits before determining what it was that causing her to smell this way. It would get so bad that her mother would keep her from going to school, fearing that her daughter would be bullied for the way she smelled. In order to control the odor, Graves had to be placed on a diet that eliminated meats, leafy vegetables and fish.
While most women would feel devastated suffering from a disorder such as this one, Graves has actually accepted it. "At the end of the day, there are worse things in life than smelling of fish," she said.
I commend Graves on her positive attitude because not many women would handle a disorder like this that well. It has to be so annoying having to control and monitor everything she puts in her body to avoid the smell. At least it sounds like she has a great support group who understands her and doesn't judge her for it. It would have been harder for her to come into her own had she felt she was being bullied her whole life about it. Hopefully doctors can find a cure for her and other patients suffering from this bizarre condition soon.
Image via Cassie Graves/ Facebook
