A team of Denver doctors is working to help a 31-year-old woman with an extremely rare genetic condition that is gradually turning her tissues into bone in a pioneering use of new prosthetic devices.
 

According to the LiveScience Website, Ashley Kurpiel has a disease known as fibrodysplasia ossificans progressive (FOP) —sometimes called "stone man syndrome," because it gradually turns muscles, tendons, and ligaments into bone.
 

"I describe it today like saying 'I'm turning into a human statue,' " Kurpiel told CBS Denver.

Editor's Note : Video Exposes Dangers of Obamacare Law

Doctors at the Denver Clinic for Extremities at Risk have now outfitted Kurpiel with a prosthetic arm that attaches to her torso. Sensors in the limb detect electrical charges created when Kurpiel twitches a muscle, allowing her to move her new prosthetic arm and hand.
 

Kurpiel is one of only a few hundred confirmed cases of FOP worldwide. There's no known cure, but researchers at the University of Pennsylvania isolated the gene responsible for the disease.
 

People with FOP gradually lose control of most of their limbs, but prosthetic devices can help some, like Kurpiel.
 

"I've been blessed to meet so many truly amazing people, especially the Dalai Lama — that was a real honor," Kurpiel told the Daily Mail.
 

She's also adjusting to life with her new prosthetic arm, which enables her to hold a drink, use a cellphone, and eat on her own.
 

"I put a cookie in there and just go for it," Kurpiel told CBS.