A nine-year-old girl is left with wounds similar to third degree burns every time she bumps her skin due to a rare condition.
Phoebe Crowson has had her childhood 'robbed' by a form of epidermolysis bullosa - a rare inherited condition known as 'butterfly skin'.
Her skin is so fragile that a bump, graze or even rubbing from her clothes causes deep lesions under three layers of skin.
The insides of her digestive system even blister if she eats foods that aren't soft, her mother said. The condition can affect other membranes of the eyes, mouth and oesophagus.
Phoebe, of Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, has never played during her break at school, not only because the risk of injury is too high, but because she needs to have her wounds re-bandaged by school nurses.
Her mother Zoe, 41, has spent four years fundraising for medical research in hope that one day her daughter's pain will stop. The condition is currently incurable.
Phoebe Crowson, nine was diagnosed with epidermolysis bullosa at birth - a rare inherited condition known as 'butterfly skin'. Pictured with her mother, Zoe Crowson, 41
Phoebe's skin is so fragile that a bump or graze rips three layers of skin immediately off which causes wounds that are like third degree burns. Pictured, Phoebe's back
Mrs Crowson said: 'It is every parents' nightmare having a child with EB as she is constantly in pain, even the trauma of eating is too much for her sometimes.
'I have to give her soft foods like mashed potatoes, but it is like watching your kid eat glass. She has trouble swallowing and her entire digestive tract blisters which includes her bowels.
'Any dental work in the future won't be possible for Phoebe as even brushing her teeth causes blisters.'
Epidermolysis bullosa (EB) occurs due to faulty genes, which can be inherited or occur spontaneously. It affects one in 50,000 people worldwide.
Phoebe falls under recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (RDEB), one of many forms of the condition. Approximately 20 per cent of people with EB have dystrophic EB, according to charity DEBRA.
The skin is extremely fragile, often with extensive blistering and wounds, because there is no collagen in the skin.
The level within the skin layers at which the defect occurs is so deep that it is equivalent to incredibly painful third degree burns, charities state.
Phoebe has never played during her break at school, not only because the risk of injury is too high, but because she needs to have her wounds re-bandaged often. Pictured, in hospital
Mrs Crowson said the condition is 'every parents' worst nightmare'. The skin is extremely fragile because there is no collagen in the skin. Pictured, Phoebe with a wound to her head
Any trauma or friction causes the skin to blister. Phoebe wears silk underwear and socks, but sweat can trigger the blistering
Mrs Crowson said: 'Her condition has completely robbed her of her childhood'
Epidermolysis bullosa (EB) is a general term used to describe a group of rare, inherited disorders that cause the skin to become very fragile.
Any trauma or friction causes patients' skin to blister.
It affects around one in every 50,000 people worldwide.
Around 40 per cent of
