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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Lamiat Sabin

Baby girl in Slovakia born with thick ‘turtle shell’ skin defies doctors’ expectations for her survival

Natalia and Martin Kadlecik

A baby girl in Slovakia has defied doctors’ expectations after she was born with an extremely rare genetic condition that can make her skin grow as thick as a “turtle’s shell”.

Elizabeth Kadlecik was born in June 2020 with harlequin ichthyosis, a condition that causes the skin all over her body and face to grow quickly and up to 8mm-thick. It affects just two in a million people.

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