A two-year-old girl can’t cuddle her parents without being in agony due to a rare condition which has left her skin as fragile as butterfly wings.
Poppy Lovatt, from Stoke-on-Trent suffers from the Epidermolysis Bullosa disorder (EB) which makes her skin fall off at the slightest touch.
The toddler has to be lifted by parents Kim, 30, and Paul, 38, by her bottom because touching her arms causes her flesh to tear.
Poppy has to have her wounds dressed twice-a-day but her parents can’t comfort her with too many hugs in case it causes more sores.
Blisters often form on the skin on the toddler’s hands and feet as well as on most of her joints leaving her in agonising pain.
Mr and Mrs Lovatt also have to avoid picking their daughter up regularly and even the friction from her clothing can cause her skin to flake off.
She has been nicknamed, ‘the butterfly girl’ because the condition leaves her skin as delicate as the insect’s wings.
The couple said despite living in almost constant pain Poppy never stops smiling.
They also spoke of their heartache at not being able to pick up their daughter sometimes when she wants a hug.
Mr Lovatt, a project buyer, said: ‘We knew a bit about the disease because looking back, a lot of Kim’s family members suffered from it, but it had always been very mild.
‘Unfortunately though, when Poppy was born, she got it quite severely.
‘She has to be quite heavily bandaged up but we try not to treat her any differently from her brother Jacob.
‘We do have to be careful with her, especially when she falls over, because her skin is very fragile and she can blister within minutes, but we just want to try and make sure she leads as normal a life
Poppy is just one of 5,000 people in the UK with Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa and there is no known cure for the disease.
Her parents, who also have a seven-year-old son Jacob, have to spend 30 minutes applying special creams and bandage Poppy twice every day to make sure her skin is protected.
Mrs Lovatt, a health visitor said: ‘Poppy was born with no skin on her legs and feet so for the whole of her life she has had to take pain killers and regularly get her skin dressed.
‘She is at the point now that she is falling over all the time and she’s always got a few scrapes so she is in pain.
‘It can be difficult when we change her dressings because if she’s quite bad it can be distressing for her.
‘We have to be careful how we handle her too, we have to pick her up under her bum because if we touch her under her arms too much her skin just flakes away and it hurts.S
‘I have a mild form of Epidermolysis Bullosa but it only affects my nails, my skin is fine, but Poppy is suffering.
‘It’s hard when I can’t just scoop her up in my arms to give her a big cuddle.
‘She is very young now, so when she gets older she will learn how to manage her condition on her own.
‘She will get to know her boundaries and know what she can and can’t do. But until then we are doing what we can for her.’
The couple are now planning to raise awareness of the condition by taking part in London’s Bupa 10k run in aid of DEBRA on May 25.
The charity supports families of the disease as well as funding vital medical research.
Mrs Lovatt added: ‘We are quite actively involved with DEBRA so when we saw this event advertised we thought we’d give it a go.
‘We haven’t done anything like it before but we wanted to try and raise some money to help Poppy and other children like her.’
A spokesman for DEBRA said: ‘Epidermolysis Bullosa is a group of genetic disorders that result in fragility of the skin and, in some cases, other internal membranes and organs.
‘Blisters, open wounds and sores form as a result of the slightest touch, rub or trauma.
‘Certain types of EB can be fatal in infancy and others are severely life-limiting.
