ANTONY CROSSFIELD
Lucy

This is a series of recent portraits of my friend Lucy who has the rare condition Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP).
The condition manifests as a gradual ossification of the body, whereby soft tissue is transformed into bone. Any form of injury can trigger bone growth as the body attempts to “repair" the injured flesh with excess bone instead of muscle tissue. The condition also gives rise to unpredictable, spontaneous, explosive bone growth. These symptoms result in a rapid and constant reshaping of the body. Mobility becomes progressively limited as limbs become frozen in place and the new bone fuses with the skeleton. This can ultimately lead to complete paralysis.
Approximately only 800 cases have been confirmed worldwide making it one of the rarest medical conditions known. FOP currently has no cure and it is untreatable.

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