Painful lesions. Boiling blisters. Tears turning to blood. One year ago we introduced you to a 15- year-old Kearney girl going through all that and more.

Olivia Rodriguez had just arrived home from spending several weeks at Children's Hospital in
Omaha.

It all began with what looked like pink eye and cancker soars. But, she was eventually diagnosed with Stevens-Johnson Syndrome. It's a potentially deadly disorder caused by a severe allergic reaction to medication most commonly antibiotics, ibuprofen and anti-inflammatory drugs.

"Back to normal. Feel fine," said Olivia Rodriguez, who suffers from Stevens-Johnson Syndrome.

Their prayers were answered. No more lesions. No more blood. No more swollen mouth.
Now 16, Olivia looks like the picture of health.

Daniele Rodriguez, Olivia's mom, said, "Olivia shouldn't be with us and she is and we're so
grateful."

Grateful she didn't suffer any major complications associated with SJS either like blindness, lung damage, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, asthma or arthritis. Danielle credits the IVIG treatments.

"That's a blood product where they mix like 5,000 people's blood, spin it, bring out the
antibodies, put it in Olivia and hope something attacks what needs to be attacked," said Daniele.

It attacked. But, Olivia still has some battle scars. The gray dots on her skin mark where blisters used to be. The most damage, though, was to her eyes. When the tissue around them grew back, it attached to her eyeballs making her sensitive to light.

"It's hard to focus on the TV or computer for a long time. They get really irritated," said Olivia.

Doctors said the fact she got Stevens-Johnson Syndrome was a fluke. She was taking the antibiotic Bactrim, which contains Sulfamethaxazole. It's an ingredient she had before and never knew she was allergic to.

"She won't make it to the hospital if she ever had Sulfa again," said Daniele. "So, she's allergic to Sulfa, alcohol, because there's a lot of Sulfa is in alcohol and ibuprofen are out of the question."

Olivia does her best to stay healthy not wanting to take any risks.

The thought of her being on another antibiotic concerns me. We don't know if she's going
to be allergic to other things," added Daniele.

Despite what she's been through, Olivia considers herself one of the lucky ones.

"There are so many things that could've happened that didn't. So, I think I'm very lucky," Olivia explained.

Olivia's mom believes pharmaceutical companies need to do a better job informing doctors and
parents about signs of Stevens-Johnson Syndrome.

She says for at least a week, doctors were treating Olivia's symptoms instead of the cause.

Drug reactions kill about 150 thousand people in the U.S. alone making it the fourth leading
cause of death.

Symptoms of SJS include:

* rash

* persistent fever

* blisters in mouth, eyes, ears, nose, genital area

* swelling of eyelids, red eyes

* Flu-like symptoms

* Conjunctivitis

* recent history of having taken a prescription or over-the-counter medication

Health officials say if you notice two or more of these, see a doctor immediately.