Woman With Harlequin Ichthyosis Becomes Happy Mother

Meet a woman whose skin grows 7 times faster and 10 times thicker than normal, Wynne, Arkansas, USA.
Stephanie Turner was born with a severe genetic skin condition called Harlequin ichthyosis.
The disease causes her skin grow at an exceptionally fast rate, making it cracked and highly susceptible to infections.
Besides, she can’t grow much hair and her ears and eyelids are receding.
Stephanie was unlikely to survive the first few days of life but she defied all the odds and now she is the oldest person in the US to live with the condition. Moreover, she became the first person in the world with the condition to have children.
Now the 23-year-old is the mother of two healthy children, who fortunately didn’t inherit defected genes and escaped their mum’s fate.

Speaking about her condition and fears about pregnancy Stephanie said: “I’ve actually had someone come up to me and ask if I was in a fire. I always spend about 15 minutes putting lotion on because my skin is so tight and doesn’t have any give. The skin is the only thing I’ve ever known, it’s just born like this so I don’t know how to look at myself any different.

I always wanted to be a mum but I didn’t know if I could have kids. The doctors couldn’t tell us anything because I was the first one to consider having a baby. And now I can’t tell you what good of a feeling it is just to have your children healthy and happy. I hope the future holds nothing but happiness. I just focusing on my two perfect babies and my wonderful husband.”

And although Stephanie’s life is full of difficulties and pain, she doesn’t lose her positive attitude to life. Her husband Curtis Turner described her as a fighter and super mother.