Clemson student studying her own illness [Video]

GREENVILLE, S.C. (FOX Carolina) – One Clemson University student is doing something very rare. She is studying an illness she has. It’s called Ehlers-danlos syndrome. According to the National Library of Medicine, 1 in 5,000 people have this disease. But she believes it could be many more since it’s not often diagnosed.

Clemson University senior Soifia Willey says gymnastics was a big part of her childhood.

“I started at maybe four years old,” Willey said. “I became a competitive gymnast in elementary school.”

She would spend up to 20 hours a week at the gym so when she had hip issues in middle school doctors thought gymnastics was the reason.

“Eventually, it kept getting worse until I had pain every day, specifically in my hips,” Willey said.

Her doctors recommended surgery to address her joint issues.

“As I went through these surgeries, I ended up having a lot of scar tissue to the point where I could not lift …