A Texas mother has been unable to kiss her four-month-old son, because he was born without skin.
Priscilla Maldonado's baby boy Ja'bari was born on New Year's Day via an emergency caesarean section.
"Once they got him out they noticed he was born without skin," wrote Maldonado on GoFundMe. "His eyes are fused shut which will require surgery to open them."
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Ja'bari also relies on a breathing machine, and his chin and chest have fused together. He only has skin on his head and his legs, and has been in hospital since birth.
"I've been able to hold him twice," Maldonado told San Antonio News Express. "But you have to be dressed in a gown and gloved-up. It's not skin-to-skin. It's not the same."
Doctors are unsure what condition Ja'bari has. Initially, they thought it was Aplasia Cutis congenital, which is a condition that causes an absence of skin from birth.
However, doctors at Ja'bari's new hospital in Houston, where he was transferred last week, believe it could be Epidermolysis bullosa, a genetic condition that causes widespread and painful skin blistering.
It could be weeks before doctors know what needs to be done.
Ja'bari is scheduled for a surgery to create an incision in his throat and cut through the scar tissue that has caused his chest and chin to fuse.
His parents are hoping to raise money for his treatment, as they are unsure how long he will need to be hospitalised.
The GoFundMe established by Maldonado and her partner has reached $25,465 of its $50,000 goal.
The couple has two other young children to care for.
Newshub.
