Stevens Johnson Syndrome (SJS) is a rare, severe allergic skin reaction caused by various medications, both over-the-counter and prescription drugs. Due to how little it is encountered, many doctors often misdiagnose it or dismiss early signs of it, with some scientists saying that it does not qualify to have its own classification of a condition at all.

Steven Johnson Syndrome is so rare it is seldom mentioned on medication warnings and patients normally do not hear the name passed to them. However, there are documented cases of this severe condition, reminding the public and medical community that they should be on the lookout for all possibilities.

Famous golfer Gene Sauers is one of these patients to endure the dangerous symptoms of SJS and still bears the marks today. Stevens Johnson Syndrome is famously characterized for leaving red or purple skin lesions on up to 30 percent of the body. Sauers described his burns as something you would see out of a car crash in a movie.

When Sauers first started experiencing the rashes, his doctors had initially diagnosed him with rheumatoid arthritis, in an attempt to explain why burning was occurring inside his body. Sauers tells that he suffered burns on his arms and legs, and that his skin basically died, and that the infected areas had turned black.

Until recently, Stevens Johnson Syndrome was considered to be a part of a variety of blistering disorders that occurred from severe allergic reactions. Now SJS is classified as its own condition, involving skin lesions that appear on the skin and mucous membranes of the patients. Doctors describe the skin detaching in the areas of the rashes, making the skin appear as though it is melting.

Doctors say that if a patient is going to suffer from Stevens Johnson Syndrome, it normally would occur within the first two weeks of starting a medication, and would start with flu-like symptoms. There are approximately 300 new cases of Stevens Johnson Syndrome diagnosed per year.

Sauers had been struck with SJS in 2011 and had to spend seven weeks in a Georgia hospital. He described his treatment in which his dead skin was removed with a tool similar to a cheese grater, and that it was so painful despite being put under. He reportedly lost a lot of blood from the procedure, and spent weeks without skin on the infected areas.

His doctors told him he had a 25 percent chance of survival, and that skin grafts were needed to treat his arms and legs. Sauers said it took 150 staples to apply the grafts, and that once it completed, he felt like celebrating his birthday or that he had become $6 million man.

“All I did was close my mind and pictured a golf swing in my mind. I told my wife I wanted to play golf again,” Sauers said.

Three years later, Sauers has made a full recovery and ranked sixth in the Charles Schwab Cup standings. He finished fourth at En-Joie in 2013, with a potential win on the Champions Tour, a possibility for many years to come.

“I know the win is coming. It’s pretty close. I won on the PGA Tour, I won on the Nike tour back in the early years. This is my other goal, is to win out here. It’s going to be awesome. And if that win never comes? If he hits, say, a few too many bogeys?” Sauers said.

Sauers says that he is grateful that the doctors had reacted in time, and embraces every day with optimism. While Sauers survived his case of Stevens Johnson Syndrome, many are not as lucky and are often not treated in time.