A brave little girl smiles for the camera, despite a cruel condition that means the slightest touch can lead to painful blisters on her skin.
Maisy Keetch, 7, suffers from epidermolysis bullosa, which means the top layer of her skin is not knitted together properly.
A single cuddle from her mother Amy can give her angry red rashes that look like burns.
She has to be extremely careful playing with other children and has a life expectancy of just 30 years.
Maisy, whose illness is also known as the butterfly syndrome because her skin is as fragile as the insect’s wings, has her arms constantly bandaged up and needs medication for the rest of her life.
“The minute she was born, I knew something was wrong," said Amy, from South East London.
She confessed every morning is a struggle as Maisy wakes up with fresh blisters and screaming in pain without Amy being able to give her a comforting cuddle.
But the child, who often uses a wheelchair as her legs are too painful too walk, has learned to make the best of her condition, telling other kids at nursery that they have to be extra careful when they play with her.
Amy, who admitted Maisy is getting more self-conscious about her skin as she gets older, said: “She sometimes asks me, ‘Why do other girls have smooth skin and not me?’ It’s hard, but I’ll tell her, ‘No one’s perfect. We all have our flaws. You are different but you’re still beautiful.’”
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