A teenager had faced bullying all her life due to an extremely rare skin condition which leaves her covered in scales.
Floraine Nalugon, who was dubbed “snake lady” said she had to move from her hometown with her parents when she was just 7 to a different town because of the insensitive comments people made about her. According to her, her parents told her she was conceived out of fish that’s why she has skin that looks like fish scale. Other said her skin looks like snake skin.
Floraine needs to constantly smear her body with moisturiser to stop it from hardening and seizing up. She said her bedding is covered in “scales” every morning when she wakes up and she rarely ventures into the crowded places in a bid to avoid unwanted stares.
The teen suffers with ichthyosis – a condition where a faulty gene affects the rate at which the skin regenerates causing a build-up of rough, scaly skin. Floraine,17, from Bukindnon in the Philippines hopes to be treated by experts in Spain who are looking into her case.
She said: “When I was seven years old, my parents moved. Initially, I thought I could escape kids back home, who ridiculed me for my condition. My parents told me that I was conceived out of fish, that’s why my skin looks like fish scales to some while to others it looks like snake skin. It hurts me lot hearing other people making fun of me. My parents gave me the strength through. They showered me with love despite my physical deformities.”
India-based press agency Newslions is currently helping Shalini Yadav, 16, from Madhya Pradesh get treatment for a similar condition in Malaga. They have taken details of Floraine’s case to the same doctors.
Florained says she is excited to know that there is a treatment of the disease she suffers from. She is determined to make something out of her life to show those who discriminated against her that there is more to her.
She said; “I will be studying hard, get a good job and show to people that discriminate against me that there is a chance for me to be like them also. I am hopeful that I will also be treated like the Indian girl, who suffers from the same disease like mine, is being treated today.”
Below is a video of Floraine discussing her ailment.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZnbPe379tM]
