SASKATCHEWAN – Local woman, Maria D’Souza, has spent most of her life being afraid to ask other people if their feet are as sweaty as hers.
“What first made me think something was wrong was when I was 11 and watched a movie where the character took her converse sneakers off and she wasn’t wearing socks. Feet directly in closed shoes?” D’Souza scoffs. “I remember thinking that was complete madness. Do you know how many pairs of converse I would ruin exposing them to my raw and seeping feet?”
Unfortunately, nobody will ever know the answer to that question. D’Souza is one of 3% of the world’s population that have Hyperhidrosis, excessive sweating of the underarms, palms and/or feet. For some, this can mean suffering in silence.
“Oh I’ve tried to ask various people in my life about their feet sweat-ness levels, trying to gauge whether I’m alone, but just as I’m about to, my heart starts palpitating causing even more sweat to be released and by then I have to escape to my apartment. And buy another pair of shoes. Is everyone else spending half their pay cheque on shoes that will ultimately dissolve like cardboard? No? Yeah, me neither.” Maria lies, a haunting pile of decaying shoes behind her.
“I came close to asking my friend this one time,” continues Maria. “I got to my friend Dana’s house and I took off my shoes. And I walked a few steps,” Maria sobs. “My socks made a wet foot imprint all over her dark hardwood floors. She asked me if it was raining outside. I lied and said it was. But then she asked why the rest of me wasn’t wet. And I lied again and said it had previously rained enough for there to be puddles strewn about but then it stopped so that explains it. She looked outside at the completely dry pavement and… we haven’t spoken in 10 years.”
Maria has since learned from her mistakes and powders her feet every 15 minutes until her feet achieve that prime ‘powdered donuts’ look.
At press time, Maria was in the throes of starting a sweaty feet support group where the welcome mat was just one huge sponge.
