Cases
Since the 1800s, there have been references in medicine describing people who apparently "turned to stone"; some of these cases may be attributable to FOP.
The best known FOP case is that of Harry Eastlack (1933–1973). His condition began to develop at the age of ten, and by the time of his death from pneumonia in November 1973, six days before his 40th birthday, his body had completely ossified, leaving him able to move only his lips.
Shortly before Eastlack's death, he made it known that he wanted to donate his body to science, in the hope that in death, he would be able to help find a cure for this little-understood and particularly cruel disease. Pursuant to his wishes, his preserved skeleton is now kept at the Mütter Museum in Philadelphia, and has proven to be an invaluable source of information in the study of FOP.
There have approximately been 700 confirmed cases across the globe from an estimated 2500.
Read more about this topic: Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva
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