Hello, my name is Benjamin, and my journey of suffering began in 1996 at the age of 16 when I woke up one morning and felt a strong pain on the inside of my left buttock. Not fully awake yet, I discovered a horrific sight in the mirror as I tried to understand the cause of this pain. It was an elongated, roughly cucumber-shaped, and large abscess that caused such a painful inflammation that I couldn't sit or walk properly. I believe I will never forget this first abscess.