Last year, Milledgeville Mayor Mary Parham-Copelan declared August to be Stevens-Johnson syndrome Awareness month in honor of Baldwin High School graduate, Andre Williams, who was diagnosed with the disease in 2017.
The skin disorder wreaks havoc on the patient's skin, causing extreme pain, skin sloughing, fevers, and blistering all over the body. Williams spent over a month at the Burn and Reconstructive Centers of America where the burns in his mouth and throat became so bad that his caretakers began to fear starvation and dehydration.
"The easiest way to put it is that I had a reaction to some medicine," Williams said, referring to the triggering event which sparked the toxic epidermal necrolysis.
Williams graduated from Baldwin High School in 2011, and has recently co-created a new production company with his friend, Kenneth Jones, called AAK Entertainment. The company held its first production, 'The Color Purple', on Saturday, August 13th, at the Baldwin High School theater, with a portion of the proceeds going to The Burn Foundation of America's Chavis House, which helps lodge and feed families of burn patients during their stay at the hospital.
Williams said, "It actually feels right, coming back to where I started. It's a great feeling... being a BHS Brave, I was spoiled here. All of my teachers were amazing."
"It actually feels right, coming back to where I started. It's a great feeling... being a BHS Brave, I was spoiled here. All of my teachers were amazing."
Williams said that the reason for selecting 'The Color Purple' was because of the play's central theme of love. "I know, with me going to the burn center, the love that I felt from people who came to uplift me was really needed for me to get through what I did. 'The Color Purple' speaks about all kinds of love, and it's a very moving story... We just wanted to give back to the community and to make everyone feel that and to come out and learn about Stevens-Johnson syndrome."
The production began with a heartwarming slideshow about Andre Williams' ordeal, as well as the declaration by the mayor and the story of Williams' subsequent fight to inform the public. Following that, the play featured a full band as well as riveting performances by Deondria West, Charles Davis, and Artishea Tripp. The production was also co-produced by LaNita Pless King of Royalty Luv Creations Inc.
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