SISTERS BOTH HAVE 1 IN 3.5M DISEASE THAT IS TURNING THEM TO CRYSTAL
Meet the sisters who have both been diagnosed with a one in 3.5-million condition which is slowly turning their bodies to crystal. Three-year-old Emily and her sister Poppy-Mae, 22 months, are among just 2,000 people in the world who have been diagnosed with the devastating disease cystinosis. The incurable condition is a genetic disorder that causes a build-up of the amino-acid cystine in the cells of the body. Over time these compounds crystallise in the cells, forming in the kidneys, the eyes, the thyroid gland and the liver. Without treatment, children with cystinosis are likely to experience complete kidney failure by about age ten. In the past, it was rare for people with cystinosis to survive into adulthood. But while the sisters will most certainly both face kidney transplants in later life, the brave tots are facing their uncertain future together. Mum Jessica Kemp, 25, from Leeds, said: "Basically their bodies are slowly being taken over by the crystals which build up in their cells. "Children with cystinosis don't have the best life expectancies but at least they each know what the other one is going through and they will always have someone around to look after them. "When Poppy-Mae was also diagnosed it was devastating, but now I'm glad in a way that they have each other for comfort."
Other great stories
ICELAND'S 360 DEGREE VIEW WATERFALL
THESE BREATH-TAKING photographs show the natural beauty of Iceland's most famous waterfall .
MAN CONTINUES HIS WORLD MAP BACK TATTOO
An American man continues on his mission to document his journey around the globe by completing a world map tattoo on his back .
INDONESIAN FLOATING MARKET IS BURSTING WITH COLOUR
A floating market in Indonesia is bursting with vibrant colours as wooden rowing boats loaded with fruit and vegetables crowd the river .
WOMAN RECORDED VIOLENT BF STRANGLING HER AND THREATENING TO KILL HER WITH A KNIFE- WHEN HE SEXUALLY ASSAULTED HER SHE SAW HIM JAILED
Gabrielle Dale, 26, was subjected to seven years of coercive control and physical abuse at the hands of her violent boyfriend Sean Owen, 29 .
A GRIZZLY GANG
PAWS for thought as you feast your eyes on this rare bear bathing session .
WOMAN LOSES 11ST AFTER £11K GASTRIC SLEEVE OP
A woman has shed half her body weight after undergoing a gastric sleeve op to shrink her stomach .
WOMAN LEFT SCARRED FOR LIFE AFTER HER CHILDHOOD FRIEND BATTERED HER WITH A COSH AND BROKE HER NOSE IN VICIOUS ATTACK
A mum-of-two has revealed how her childhood friend of 20 years attacked her with a cosh and broke her nose in a vicious attack .
WORLD'S MOST IDYLLIC BOMB SITE BEAUTY
WELCOME to the Hidden Beach - the world's most idyllic BOMB SITE .
SWIMMING WITH WHALE SHARKS
A diver looks like a minnow as she swims alongside a gigantic whale shark, the largest species of fish on the planet .
PUTIN'S TINY ARMY
Some parents would gasp at the thought of their children playing with a toy gun, but these Russian children are actually encouraged to take up real arms .
I FLED TO AUSTRALIA AFTER HOUSE TORCHED BY ONE-NIGHT
A woman has told how she fled to Australia, after a one night stand burned down her house .