Spark For Rare Patient Support Feature-Gaming Provides Escape

Eric and Dane Escaping Reality

Who: Dane Dougherty

Age: 26

Rare Disease:  Hereditary Multiple Osteochondromas

What it is: Where bone tumors grow around the growth plate and around the joints. These growths are often spike shaped.

What Is Your Story? “I just had my 57th surgery.” Due to Dane’s rare disease, he often must have surgery to remove spikes that have grown around his joints. Dane has had much of his life impacted by having a rare disease. By the time Dane Dougherty turned 18, he already had 40 surgeries.  “Growing up, I spent most of my time in the hospital.”  Dane continued by saying that because of all his surgeries, he didn’t always know how to interact with people because he wasn’t able to attend school and had to complete most of his education at home, or in the hospital.

How Has Hereditary Multiple Osteochondromas Affected Your Quality Of Life? “The pain is pretty much constant because. . . spikes.” Dane has to take a lot of medications. “A lot of the time, because of the medications, I am just not really there.” Dane continues by saying that  his memory is often fuzzy. There is no cure for Hereditary Multiple Osteochondromas. The medicine prescribed just helps the pain and the inflammation. According to the National Organization for Rare Disorders, “1 out of 50,000 people suffer from Hereditary Multiple Osteochondromas."

What Is The Biggest Impact HMO Has Had On Your Health? Dane recalls one of the worst spots that a spur grew “I had a spur that joined my tibia to my fibula, I had one on my ribs. I had to have part of one of my ribs removed because one of the spikes was puncturing my lung.” If the spikes get too big or they break, they can become cancerous. Dane also survived Lymphoma after having been diagnosed at nine years old.

How Has Your Invisible Disability Impacted Your Social Life? “I look like a normal guy, but I can’t do simple things like tie my own shoes.” Dane says that making and keeping friends is hard because of his disease. “I have even had friends turn to bullies.” Dane said he has had friends who stopped being his friend after they found out about his illness. 

How Has EJF Impacted Your Life? Dane says that he can’t say much about the impact EJF has had on his life because this is his first experience with Eric’s Journey Foundation, but he appreciates being given the opportunity to be able to tell his story. EJF was able to provide Dane with a small token of financial support to increase Dane's access to gaming and gaming materials.

“Meeting Eric has been a great experience.  Eric is probably one of my favorite people to play Dungeons and Dragons with, hands down. Eric  is a great person. Playing with him has been one of the better experiences in my life.

Just A Normal Guy

Family Time

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