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
OWLS ARE MASTERS OF DISGUISE IN INDIAN FOREST
HUDDLED together in the hollow of a tree, it would be easy to overlook these two sleepy owls as they blend into the trunk .
COME DINE AT SEA: RESTAURANT ON A ROCK
The rock restaurant, located in Zanzibar – THIS unique restaurant really does boast breath-taking views - as it is perched on a rock in the middle of the sea .
DESPERATE FOR A THIGH GAP I STARVED MYSELF TO 5ST 8LB
When personal trainer, Victoria Spence dreamt of achieving a thigh gap, she didn't realise her obsession would leave her body gripped by anorexia .
MY SLEEPING BEAUTY NIGHTMARE
MEET the real life sleeping beauty - who snoozed for TWO months when a rare sleep disorder took over her life and turned it into a nightmare .
FIVE-WEEK-OLD NEWBORN IS UK’S YOUNGEST BEAUTY PAGEANT BABY
A five-week-old newborn from Fife has become the UK’s youngest beauty pageant baby .
BOY SURVIVES NEAR-FATAL ALLERGIC REACTION TO EPILEPSY MEDICATION
A little boy was left fighting for his life in hospital after a horrific allergic reaction to epilepsy medication made his skin fall off in chunks .
PUPPY RUN OVER BY TRAIN GIVEN NEW LEASH OF LIFE
A tiny puppy who lost his front legs after being hit by a train has been given and new LEASH of life with a set of wheels .
TWO SALVATION ARMY STAFF SUSPENDED OVER RAPE HELP REFUSAL
A good samaritan who came to the aid of a rape victim has told how they were turned away from the Salvation Army because "they only help men" .
CALIFORNIAN GHOST TOWN OF BODIE HILLS FROZEN IN TIME
An intrepid photographer travelled to the abandoned ghost town of Bodie in northern California to capture the historic buildings that are trapped in time .
FISH AND BIRD TANGO
A trout manages to escape the jaws of a hungry cormorant - only to find itself back inside the bird's long beak .
RING OF FIRE ECLIPSE IN OZ
THIS RING of fire in the sky is the annular solar eclipse that wowed our cousins down-under .
SCUBA-DUPER DIVER BREAKS RECORD FOR 50 HOURS UNDERWATER
A British diver has set a new world record for the longest warm water scuba dive by spending a mammoth 49 hours and 56 minutes under water .