It can be hard enough raising a child in this world. When you add the fact that people think you abuse your child because of his natural appearance, things can be even more difficult.

Valerie Jackson of Las Vegas knows how this scenario feels on a personal level. Her son, RJ, has Netherton syndrome. The illness makes the child look as if someone dumped boiling water on him.
Advertisement
According to the National Library of Medicine, Netherton syndrome affects 1 in 200,000 children. It affects dermal cells and the immune system, leaving children with red, scaly skin.

Jackson said she does what she can to moisturize his skin, but to no avail.

"I put Vaseline all over him two to three times a day to keep his skin (supple) but he is still sore," she said. "When he was younger he had to have it over his body every few hours — even in the night."

Jackson said she once took RJ on an outing and she wasn’t allowed to enter a children’s activity center because of the state of his skin. 

She also said that well-meaning but ignorant people have called the police on her more than once.

"We were in Wal-Mart in Las Vegas putting his creams on when we were surrounded by five armed police," she told the Mirror.

"Their guns weren’t drawn. The officer asked what was going on. I explained and he apologized."