At age 21, Jewel Shuping purposefully blinded herself with drain cleaner, fulfilling her lifelong dream of being disabled. “I should have been blind from birth,” she says.
Since she was a child, she had dreamed of being blind. She used to spend hours staring directly at the sun, hoping it would blind her. But that didn’t work. Finally, she found a psychologist willing to pour drain cleaner into her eyes. With her psychologist’s help, Jewel finally went blind, fulfilling her lifelong ambition.
Jewel has body integrity identity dysphonia (BID), a condition characterized by a desire to be disabled. Some people with BID amputate their own (healthy) limbs. Others, like Jewel, blind themselves.
Another account says that Jewel Shuping blinded herself with the aid of a sympathetic psychologist. The process was said to be very long and painful. But today, after nine years she blinded herself, Jewel is sharing her own stories to raise more awareness of BIID. She encourages people who have this dangerous mental illness to seek professional help, instead of taking steps that may disfigure them.
Some doctors will assist BID patients, helping them amputate their healthy limbs. But the ethical considerations are complicated. In Scotland, one doctor lost his medical license after amputating the healthy limbs of people with BID.
Some people argue that BID is a form of human diversity, and that it should be accepted by society. Others call BID a mental disorder.