I am sitting here watching tonight’s episode of Big Brother. Once Matt said his wife has the disease “Melariatosis”, and Andrew the Podiatrist had never heard of it I immediately went to Google to see who was right.

The problem is the way Matt is pronouncing/spelling it. Of course, to be clear he is making it up and his wife DOES NOT have the diesease. He is just trying it to win some sympathy from the other house guests. A move similar to Johnny Fairplay’s move on Survivor of saying his grandmother had died.

The disease Matt means to be saying is “Melorheostosis”.

I am taking this definition from the site www.melorheostosis.com , a site helping get the word out about the disease and trying to fund research into finding a cure.

“Melorheostosis is a rare and progressive disorder characterized by hyperostosis (thickening) of the cortical bone. Melorheostosis affects both bone and soft tissue growth and development. Melorheostosis can result in severe functional limitation, extensive pain, soft tissue contractures, and limb, hand an/or foot deformity. The age of diagnosis is typically based on the severity of onset and symptoms. On x-rays, the appearance of melorheostosis been likened to flowing, melted candle wax.

Diseases associated with melorheostosis include, osteopoikilosis, osteopathia striata, scleroderma and Buschke-Ollendorff syndrome.”

It does indeed have an incidence estimated to be 1 in 1,000,000 (or maybe the .9 in 1 million that Matt stated).

You can find more information about the disease, the search for a cure, and how you can donate to help find a cure at www.melorheostosis.com

We will have to wait to see if Matt’s strategy works in taking him further in the game, or if it backfires on him.

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