Girl In China With Skin Like A Turtle Has Puzzled Doctors

turtle girl kh9p4 16105

It’s easy for us to complain about all the various physical troubles we might have, some major some not so major, until we see someone who is worse off than we are, and that puts everything into perspective. I have my fair share of problems, but when I read about the following case, I realize my aches and pains are nothing in comparison. At least I can keep my conditions under control with herbs. Other people choose western medicine, but this young Chinese woman has a disorder that has baffled the medical profession, and the prognosis does not sound too promising.

They call her the turtle girl, because she has tumor growths on her abdomen that look like a turtle shell.

The tumors – made of massively swollen blood or lymph vessels – give 23-year-old Tian Yunting the appearance of a hard scaly skin.

But in fact, her rare medical condition means that even the slightest knock or jolt could burst the swollen vessels and she would bleed to death.

Because the condition is so precarious she can no longer attend college because the slightest movement on the bus ride to classes could cause the tumors to burst, which could kill her.

There doesn’t seem to be much they can do for the poor girl, other than regular removal of the tumors, but that requires hospitalization.

Doctors in Zhangjiajie, southern China, say the condition is caused by a rare genetic deficiency called angiomas – but have never seen it on such a large scale.

“It can be controlled by regular removal of the tumors but that has to be done in hospital because there will be a lot of bleeding. This is the worst case we’ve ever seen,” said one surgeon.

So next time you complain about this or that, remember poor Tian Yunting and remember, ‘there but for the grace of God, go I’.

Today's Top Articles:

Scroll to Top