Doctors warned she was unlikely to survive the first few days of life.

But at the age of 23, Stephanie Turner is now the oldest person in the US to live with Harlequin ichthyosis.

And when she gave birth to her two-year-old son, she became the first person with the condition to have a baby.

Mrs Turner, from Wynne, Arkansas, was born with the condition.

It causes her skin to grow seven times faster than normal, appear tight and stretched and severely crack.

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.

However, despite her condition, Mrs Turner is thought to be the first sufferer to give birth.

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.'

When Mrs Turner was born her mother Donna was told her daughter was unlikely to survive the first few days.

'They told me babies who are born with this skin condition had no hope,' Donna said.
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.'

And it is her positive attitude in the face of constant pain and discomfort that attracted her now-husband Curtis.

The couple met and married months later in a whirlwind romance.

Mr Turner said: 'When I met her I didn't see a person with a skin disorder, I just saw a beautiful woman.

'She was funny and she's always trying to make things positive.'

Soon after the wedding Mrs Turner became pregnant.

'I always wanted to be a mum but I didn't know if I could have kids,' she said.

The 23-year-old knew she was risking her life by deciding to have a baby.

Pregnancy in a woman with Harlequin syndrome was unprecedented.

The big fear was whether the skin on her stomach would stretch, as she grew bigger during pregnancy.

'The doctors couldn't tell us anything because I was the first one to consider having a baby,' Mrs Turner said.

But against all expectations, pregnancy was beneficial for her rare skin condition and she gave birth to a healthy baby boy.

Now the couple are parents to two children Willy, aged two, and Olivia, aged four months.

Both parents must have genetic defect for Harlequin to be passed on to children and as Mr Turner does not carry the defect both of the couple's children escaped their mother's painful condition.

'I can't tell you what good of a feeling it is just to have your children healthy and happy,' she said.

'I hope the future holds nothing but happiness. I'm sure there will be a few bumps along the road, but that's life.

'We're just focusing on my two perfect babies and my wonderful husband.'

Mr Turner said: 'Stephanie is a super-mum, she can be doing 50-different things at once and still have time to smile and take care of both the kids.'

-Daily mail