Topekan speaks out about rare disease causing body odor

As part of our Raising Awareness Campaign, Cheryl has been reaching out to the press trying to tell the story about trimethylaminuria (TMAU). The MEBO Research community has done everything possible to support her in this venture from fundraising to pay for a professionally made video, to write on the CNN iReport page asking for them to publish her article, to write to The Topeka Capital Journal (her hometown newspaper) to support them publishing on February 19, 2012, the article referenced below.

Topekan speaks out about rare disease causing body odor
Posted: February 19, 2012 - 3:02pm

By Jan Biles
THE CAPITAL-JOURNAL
When Topeka resident Cheryl Fields was a sophomore in college, she noticed a change in the way she smelled. Although she was already taking two showers a day, she squeezed in another shower when she went home for lunch.

The odor — which smelled like garbage or rotting fish — continued to worsen. Fields started carrying soap, washcloths and extra clothing wherever she went.

"I was constantly washing," she said. "At the worst point, I was taking 10 to 15 showers a day to try to wash off that smell."

When Fields ate at restaurants, diners at nearby tables would ask wait staff about an off-putting smell. When she heard someone whispering or snickering, she assumed they had noticed the odor.

"It was very stressful and frustrating," she said...