Maddison Blockley, mother to three-year old Amelie Smout, can’t even go near her toddler when Amelie is unwell. Blockley has emetophobia, the extreme fear of vomiting. “I’d rather die than throw up,” says the 28-year old from Staffordshire, England.

The mental health nurse could not figure out what was wrong with her until May 2019, when she heard of the rare disease for the first time. “I knew I was scared of sick [vomit], but I could never piece together why or what was actually wrong with me,” she says. “Since knowing I have emetophobia, it has helped me start  looking at ways I can deal with it.”