Struck by rare autoimmune disease at the age of 5
Rare condition that affects children hard to diagnose but chances for recovery good if identified early
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When Zen On showed symptoms of juvenile dermatomyositis, the skin rash was thought to be eczema, the reluctance to walk seen as a sign of laziness or fatigue and the frequent falls dismissed as clumsiness. She is now seven years old and almost fully well, having regained her strength in six months with treatment.
ST PHOTO: ALPHONSUS CHERN
Zen On was five years old when rashes appeared on her legs, and she kept asking her parents to carry her whenever they went out. She also fell down frequently.
Zen's mother Tan Cheow Nee, 30, initially thought her daughter was too lazy to walk and clumsy.
