The Human Snake: Girl, 16, Sheds Her Skin Every Six Weeks

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A teenager who suffers from an ultra-rare skin condition that sees her shed her skin every two months has been thrown out of school because of her extraordinary appearance.

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Her poor family cannot afford the treatment and spend their money feeding their family of eight.

The excuse she was given for being thrown out of school because her appearance scared her fellow pupils.

Doctors have diagnosed Erythroderma, an inflammatory skin disease also known as ‘red man syndrome’, but are unable to treat it.

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It causes the skin over almost the entire body to become scaly and flake off.

Shalini has shed her skin every 45 days since she was born.

She has to soak her body in water every hour – night and day – and smear herself with lotion every three hours to prevent drying out.

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Due to this constant cycle of skin shedding, she has been viciously compared to a snake. Others, as cruel as it sounds have begun to call her the 'human snake.'

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Her desperate mother Devkunwar said:

“Shalini is suffering from the disease since childhood. We saw several doctors but none of them could cure her and her condition has continued to get worse. I feel so helpless when I see her skin coming off, causing excruciating pain to my child. This disease is not killing her but taking her life bit by bit. We have no idea where to go to and who to consult.”

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Devkunwar, a caregiver in a state-funded community center, is so heart-broken she says death would be kinder to her daughter.

She added: “It is better to die than living a life of misery.”

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Shalini’s two siblings Sejal, 15, and Price, eight, have no serious health problems.

Her father Rajbahadur, a low-paid worker, said: “It’s really sad because she was not born normally and has scaly skin all over her body. It is similar to being severely burnt, from the sole of her feet to her head.”

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Shalini said: “I wanted to study but they threw me out of school as the children would get scared by seeing my face. Everybody in the family is suffering because of my medical condition. But what is my fault? What sin did I commit to be cursed with such a disease. I want to live. Please help me, if you can.”

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Many kindhearted people have taken to gofundme to attempt to raise the funds for this poor girl and her family. No one should have to suffer this way.

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For more information on her story, watch the video below.