Weekend January 6/7, 2001

Scleroderma

She's a woman who believes she healed herself. Maureen Taylor's recovery has baffled the experts especially since the deadly disease she suffers from has no cure. So how is she succeeding where conventional medicine has not? EXTRA has Maureen's story.

When Maureen Taylor looks at herself in the mirror she sees a miracle. Amazed at the sheer softness of her skin, grateful for the ability to smile to feel to walk even to eat.

"I feel the most privileged person on the face of this Earth," she says.

Privileged because for years Maureen was facing a death sentence. Her body was slowly turning to stone.

"It started off with the swelling of my feet and hands," describes Maureen.

Then numbness in her face.

"My lips began to disappear. My skin was just like Formica," she continues.

Multiple doctors diagnosed her with everything from arthritis to allergies to lupus. Maureen prepared herself for death. Then an answer to her prayers. New Jersey doctor Hal Whitman saw right away that Maureen was suffering from scleroderma caused by the body producing too much collagen making the skin and tissue hard. It's not only incurable it's almost always fatal.

"Some people get very sick and are dead in two years. Other people get a disease that proceeds slowly over a 15-year period of time," Dr. Whitman explains.

Comic Bob Saget and Seinfeld's Jason Alexander know that pain firsthand. Saget's sister died from the disease, Alexander's sister still suffers from it. And playboy playmate Tylyn John recently disclosed she too is battling the cruel condition. Ironically, the thought of living in agony gave Maureen strength to fight the disease.

Along with the steroids Dr. Whitman prescribed which helped with the swelling, Maureen figured she had nothing to lose and decided to try holistic treatments. She started out with a new diet made up of all-natural grains, vegetables and seaweed. The food didn't taste great but she forced herself to eat it and remembers a distinct change.

"I felt the greatest sense of peace than I ever encountered in my life from that diet," she illustrates.

An herbalist prescribed a host of natural remedies like kelp, gotu kola, and lobelia. Maureen also started meditating visualizing herself getting better and she took up Tai Chi. After four weeks Maureen started seeing results.

"One morning I look at my big hard purple feet and they're turning pink," Maureen tells us. "I felt in my heart something good was happening."

Something amazing was happening. Maureen was conquering the ruthless disease. Even her doctor was stunned.

"I've never heard of anybody being so ill and then going into complete remission in this disease," he exclaims.

It's been seven years now and incredibly Maureen is healthy. She is the only person in the world believed to have beaten scleroderma. Her doctor has no medical explanation, so does she think she cured herself? She says yes, definitely.

If you would like to contact Maureen Taylor, email her at taylor.maureen@att.net