A mum has joked she and her daughter are "real-life vampires" as they are allergic to sunlight and have to stay indoors when the sun is out.
Kylie Szafranski was diagnosed with Erythropoietic Protoporphyria (EPP) after suffering severe burns from a sunbed at the age of 16.
The rare genetic condition causes the skin to be oversensitive to UV light.
The 30-year-old from Phoenix, Arizona, has had to take precautions to protect her skin, including wearing UV protective clothing and getting special tinting for her car's windows.
She discovered her seven-year-old daughter River inherited a form of her sunlight allergy after her skin broke out in hives as a baby following sunscreen application and sun exposure.
Kylie's condition is known as the "vampire disease" and is believed to be where the myth of vampires stemmed from centuries ago, because people who suffer the condition avoid the sunlight and are usually very pale due to chronic anaemia.
The mum-of-five said: "Looking back at my childhood, it was incredibly obvious I had severe sun issues that were never addressed.
"But it wasn't until I was 16 and tried a tanning bed for the first time that I realised something was wrong. It was so painful, but as I had never used one before I thought that was normal.
"But when I got out, I saw how red my skin was and then it began peeling off in chunks. I went to see a doctor, and after some tests we discovered I had a severe sun allergy that is caused by a gene mutation.
"It is also known as the 'vampire disease'. Back in the Dark Ages, that is the condition that they believed people had who were accused of being vampires.
"People with EPP are also chronically anaemic, which makes them feel very tired. They also look very pale with increased photosensitivity because they can't come out in the daylight. This added to the myth of the vampire."
Kylie and her daughter suffer from slightly different sun allergies - while Kylie's occurs whenever she goes out in the sun, River gets a more severe reaction just from applying sunscreen or lotion.
The mum said: "When my daughter River was born, I had no idea she would have a sunlight allergy too because it's so rare. Someone put sunscreen on her when she was a baby, without asking us first.
"Then as soon as she got into the sun she swelled up, broke out in full body hives and it blew the capillaries in her skin. River is photosensitive like myself but has an allergic reaction to sunscreen known as allergic contact dermatitis.
"Her allergy is even rarer, affecting less than 1% of the population. It may involve a rash, itchy skin, swelling and blistering.
"This is different from me because I am not allergic to sunscreen, though it doesn't work for me which is not uncommon for people with EPP."
The mum, who is married to Phillip, 41, said she finds humour in the vampire comparison and adds it is a long-running joke with her family and friends.
Kylie has been working to raise awareness of the condition online and said that while most feedback was supportive, she did receive some bizarre comments from people.
The strangest comment she said she receives every now and again is from people believed that her sunlight allergy occurred was because she is "demonic".
But Kylie said she never lets get the bullies get her down and as her daughter River grows up will show her that being unique is beautiful.
She said: "I have received some really dark things from people, mostly religious groups, about my sun allergy. I've been called demonic and have been told my kids, especially the quadruplets, are the product of witchcraft.
"People are crazy. I've been told I'm a child of Satan because evil things live in the dark.
"I never let it get to me, I know people are crazy. It's actually quite funny that people can think that way.
"I always tell all my kids they're special and beautiful. River is such a strong little girl and I know she will be just fine.
"All I want to do is raise awareness and educate people about the reality of sun allergies because lots of people don't think they even exist.
"The more education and awareness we can get out there the better."
