Woman, 26, Remains Optimistic as Body Turns to Stone

A 26-year-old U.K. woman is faced with choosing whether to sit or stand for the rest of her life as her body slowly turns to stone, The Daily Mail reported.

Rachel Winnard suffers from fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva, a rare condition that causes bone to form in muscles, tendons, ligaments and other connective tissue. There are approximately 500 people in the world who suffer from this medical condition, and there is no cure.

The disease has already compromised some parts of her body – she cannot raise her arms above her head and she cannot straighten her feet.

Winnard recently married her longtime boyfriend, Paul, 30, and she said it is her dream to have a child with him.

“It’s always been my dream to get married, and have a family, and I desperately wanted to walk up the aisle,” Winnard said. “Ending up in a wheelchair is my worst nightmare, so it was something I wanted to do while I was still able to do it.”

The couple plans to honeymoon in Australia.

Click here to read more about this story in the Daily Mail.