Karen Duffy is an actress, model, and television personality from the United States. She’s a former Coney Island Mermaid Queen and was named one of People Magazine’s “50 Most Beautiful People” in 1993.
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Duffy was diagnosed with neurosarcoidosis, a rare variant of the disease sarcoidosis, in 1995. Her brain and spinal cord were both damaged, and she was left partially paralysed. She’s authored two books about her experience with chronic pain since then, and she’s a member of the Alliance for Ethical Treatment of Pain Patients.
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According to reports, Duffy woke with pain equivalent to “an electric eel swimming up [her] spinal column” the day after the Emmy Awards in 1995.
Her doctor discovered an inoperable “mostaccioli-sized” lesion around her brain stem and spinal cord that was crushing her nerves. Neurosarcoidosis is a lifelong sickness with no cure that can dramatically reduce one’s overall quality of life.
Duffy, on the other hand, can manage her discomfort using a variety of medications. To battle the disease’s effects, the 60-year-old takes steroids, chemotherapy, morphine, and pain patches.
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