Hidradenitis suppurativa, or HS, is a chronic, inflammatory skin condition that causes painful bumps, cysts and abscess, typically in skin folds and areas with sweat glands.
Though it is not a rare condition, the lack of awareness on HS has caused many people to live with the disease undiagnosed.
Dana Jimenez, 28, began experiencing painful cysts around her groin after hitting puberty at 10, but she wasn’t diagnosed with HS until adulthood.
“Anywhere from up to 4% of the population in the world has HS,” according to University of Miami assistant professor of clinical physical therapy Dr. David W. Mandel, who is conducting a pilot study to see if exercise can improve patients’ quality of life.
Nikole Valiente is a junior studying digital journalism at Florida International University. When she’s not scouring the internet or obsessing over AP Style, the 22-year-old enjoys talking and sharing coladas with her close friends and family. Born to Cuban immigrants, Valiente aspires to be a reporter covering her hometown, Hialeah, the city of progress.
Xitlalic Montelongo is a junior pursuing a degree in digital journalism with a minor in marketing. Passionate about storytelling, she enjoys covering both general news and sports.
Yairi Lorenzo is a New York native and raised in Miami and college senior majoring in Digital interactive media and minoring in art specifically in photography. After graduation, she hopes to one day work for places like Sport Illustrative, Vogue, and Calvin kelin. Her interests also include becoming a sports photographer for MLB and NBA teams like the Marlins, the Heat, and the NY Nicks. Her dream career that she's aiming for is to be a photographer for The New York Yankees. She is passionate about that one day to get to photograph Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton. Yairi would also love to shoot for Formula 1, FIFA World Cup, and the Olympics.
