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#1 Stephanie Turner was born with the rare condition Harlequin ichthyosis The skin condition causes Stephanie’s skin to grow around 10 times thicker than normal at an incredibly fast rate. This results in skin that is easily crackable and susceptible to infection.
#2 Her mother was warned she wouldn't survive the first days of life, but at 23 she's now the oldest sufferer in the US. She cannot grow much hair and her ears and eyelids are receding. The 23-year-old is also highly susceptible to germs, which would normally be blocked by the skin's outer barrier.
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#3 She said living with the disorder has been difficult, adding she's endured years of hurtful comments about her looks. 'I've actually had someone come up to me and ask if I was in a fire,' she said. 'If it gets too hot I had to stay in, I'd get sick, pus would come up, my skin would hurt and it would be awful.'
#4 However, despite her condition, Mrs Turner is thought to be the first sufferer to give birth. When Mrs Turner gave birth to her son Willy, left, two years ago she became the first person diagnosed with the condition to have a baby. She is now also mother to four-month-old Olivia.
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#5 Doctors were concerned when Mrs Turner became pregnant, because pregnancy in people with Harlequin ichthyosis was unprecedented. They were worried about how her skin would react to her growing bump.
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#6 Against all expectations, pregnancy was beneficial for her rare skin condition and she gave birth to a healthy baby boy, Willy.
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#7 Despite her ongoing pain, Stephanie hasn’t let her illness stop her and recently gave birth to her second child Olivia. Harlequin Itchtyosis is very dangerous in pregnant women as the stretching of the stomach can lead to further infection.
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#8 Mrs Turner's claims her survival is partly thanks to a cream, which keeps the bacteria out and lubricates her tough skin and restricted limbs. 'I always spend about 15 minutes putting lotion on because my skin is so tight and doesn't have any give,' she said. '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.'
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#9 The condition, which is incurable, is caused by a mutated gene, and only five children are born a year with the skin problem in the UK.
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#10 Luckily, both Stephanie’s children were born without the condition, and her husband Curtis says that despite her health problems, Steph is a ‘supermum’ who can do ’50 things at once’ and ‘still finds time to smile’.
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#11 What a brave lady!
