A little girl whose skin sheds like a snake and has put her in intensive care has landed her first modelling job.
Adorable Harper Foy, six, has harlequin ichthyosis (HI), which makes her skin grow 10 times faster than normal - meaning she has to have four showers every day to soothe it.
The schoolgirl from Washington is thought to be one of only 20 people in the USA living with her condition - and for the first few years of her life, her parents were worried she wouldn't ever go to school at all.
However, Harper's mum Angie, 44, said so far, her brave daughter hasn't let the condition hold her back.
“There are other people with her condition that we’re aware of who are home schooled, so the fact that Harper has been able to start kindergarten this September is a miracle for us.”
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Harlequin ichthyosis causes the skin to grow 10 times faster than normal, making it thick, dry and severely scaly. At birth, it requires intensive care.
One of the only things that can soothe her angry skin is a shower - so Harper has to spend around four hours under the water every single day.
Since starting her first year of school this autumn, Harper has had to have an hour long shower before heading into class. Then at lunchtime, she's picked up for a pitstop to have a second shower.
When she gets home from school, she has her third shower of the day, before a final shower at bedtime.
Angie said: “The showers are an inconvenience, but they are essential for Harper to be able to go about her day.
“Because her skin sheds so much, it becomes itchy and sore, so the showers alleviate a lot of that discomfort."
Angie and her husband Kevin, 43, were concerned their daughter's condition might stop her making friends at school because she has to come home at lunchtime. But luckily, their outgoing daughter hasn't let anything stop her.
She said: “She has lots of friends at school and they are all very conscious of her condition and help her if she needs it.
“Kids are so resilient, and Harper is no different.”
Although things are likely to get more complicated with Harper's schooling as she gets older, Angie hopes her daughter will be able to stay in school up to her teenage years.
Angie, who lives with her husband, Kevin, 43, a project manager, and their three children, Harper, Sam, 21, and Jaxon, 10, said: "I’m not sure how it’s going to work as Harper gets older," she said.
"The schoolwork will naturally get more difficult, so it will be harder for her to miss things to return home for a shower.
“But we will figure that out when we reach that point. With her attitude, I’m sure Harper will achieve anything she puts her mind to.”
It's been a big year for Harper, who lives with her parents and brothers Jaxon and Sam.
She's been scouted as a child model after charming an agency with her sharp sense of humour.
Her mum gushed: "You can’t help but love her when you meet her. She's got this unmatched personality, this sense of fun.
“She was signed up to a two-year contract with a modelling agency just before the pandemic but, unfortunately, that meant there weren’t any jobs coming in.
“Now that the world is starting to return to normal, she’s just shot her first modelling campaign."
Although Angie has to remain tight-lipped about the nature of her daughter's campaign, she hopes Harper will be able to see her face on billboards one day.
Due to Harper’s condition, she did not have her hair and make-up done like models usually do, but Angie says she still felt very much part of things on the day of the shoot.
“Her skin and scalp are too sensitive to get her hair and make-up done, but they had music blasting and Harper was dancing around the room," said Angie.
“She loves Ed Sheeran, so they were playing his music for her too. Harper loves dancing and music. I always say she is an old soul.
“The commercial will come out early next year and she is so excited about seeing herself in it.”
Angie says her daughter has come a long way since she was born, and is now thriving.
She said: “The early days were spent doing a lot of research on her condition and hearing different things from doctors on what course of treatment they were going to offer next.
“It was a very scary and uncertain time for us and now, to be out the other side, feels like a dream.
“Harper will always be different from other people and her skin will always need special care and attention, but we will cross each bridge as we get to it.
“I used to worry a lot about how the world would treat a girl like Harper, with her condition.
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"As her mother, I still worry sometimes, but I also have no doubt that she will take the world by storm.
“She’s a beautiful girl inside and out and she deserves a full life of fun and happiness.”
