Aby Maraño on psoriasis: 'Hindi naman kami nakakahawa. Hindi rin ito sumpa'
Aby Maraño, a multi-awarded volleyball player living with psoriasis, is letting the world know about her condition by posting photos of herself--showing flare-ups and all--on social media.
But she's not doing it to inspire sympathy or pity. She's doing it for a much bigger, deeper purpose: to raise awareness on psoriasis and to help erase the stigma against people living with it.
According to medicalnewstoday.com, psoriasis is a "common, chronic, autoimmune disease that causes dry, red, scaly patches and flakes to appear on the skin," and is characterized by stings, itchiness, and burns. It is believed that this condition causes one's immune system to mistakenly produce skin cells too quickly, especially when the person is dealing with a lot of stress.
In the Philippines, more than 2 million Filipinos are living with psoriasis.
In her April 11 Facebook post, the former De La Salle University volleyball champion posted a photo of herself in bikini top and boyshorts, which showed the large red psoriasis flare-ups that have appeared on her legs, thighs, and arms.
"Showing my patches like they aren't a damn thing anymore. I know most of Psoriasis patients don't have the courage to show their skin. I heard some stopped going to school at 'yung iba ayaw lumabas ng bahay. Sad, I know. There are times that I feel uncomfortable too but my confidence is greater than my insecurities."
Aby, who now plays in commercial leagues in the Philippines, emphasized that her condition is not contagious.
"Hindi naman kami nakakahawa. Hindi rin ito sumpa."
Like the true champion that she is, Aby says that she will not back down from this long and hard battle.
"Everyday is a battle. I gotta fight 'cause if I don't, I might just stop playing.
"Simple psoriasis might lead to psoriatic arthritis that may really affect my condition in playing and I definitely don't want that to happen."
Aby, who was part of the women's volleyball team that represented the country in the 2018 Asian Games, left one important advice to those who have a friend or a family member with psoriasis.
"So if you know someone who has Psoriasis like me, HUG them. They are not contagious. The only contagious is kindness.
“I am Aby Maraño, I have psoriasis but psoriasis don't have me. #PsoriasisWarrior #PsoriasisFashion #Confident #Respect #Abylieve"
At this writing, Aby's Facebook post has garnered over 56,000 Likes and 80 comments and has been shared more than 15,000 times.
On Instagram, where Aby posted the same content, several popular athletes have expressed their admiration for her bravery.
Basketball star Ricci Rivero commented, “You're the real MVP.”
Former Ateneo De Manila University volleyball player Jem Ferrer, who was also Aby's fierce rival during their UAAP days, wrote, “Love you, Tiyang!”
One of Aby's former teammates Gyra Barroga commented, “Love you Ate Aby. You inspire me everyday.”
Aby's Instagram post has more than 22,000 likes as of this writing.
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