The parents of a baby born with blisters "like Freddy Krueger" are afraid to cuddle their son because it could cause him too much pain.
Giorgio Evans-Lobato has a rare incurable condition called junctional epidermolysis bullosa (EB) that causes his ultra sensitive skin to welt and blister when touched.
The three-month-old was diagnosed by Great Ormond Street Hospital specialists two weeks after he was born in June this year.
The first time Dominic Evans, 37, held his newborn son he noticed skin missing from the little one’s back, head and left leg and felt sure “something was seriously wrong”.
The version of EB - also known as 'butterfly skin' - that affects Giorgio also causes blistering to his internal organs, which means he requires 24-hour care.
Determined to help Giorgio survive and go on to lead the best life possible, Dominic quit his job as an electrician to help Giorgio’s mum Michelle Lobato, 43, look after him full time at their home in Chichester, West Sussex.
Dominic said: “He is in excruciating pain every single day – I can see it in his eyes. When he can speak, I will be able to find out where he is hurting. But you can see the trauma in him. When he looks up at me, he doesn’t understand why it’s happening to him.
“When I first saw him, I knew something was wrong. He was looking like Freddy Krueger with all of the blisters. I’m so scared for when he speaks and tells me just how much pain he is in.”
With both parents unable to work, they have set up a GoFundMe page asking for public donations so they can move into a new home suited to Giorgio’s needs.
Dominic said: “We have been told by the doctors and specialists that he has a low percentage chance of surviving his first two years of life so we are hoping we can do everything possible to get him through this.
"It’s 24 hours a day, so I had to quit my job and sold my BMW car, and we’re just about scraping by with Universal Credit. These months have been so tough on us, but I can’t even imagine how tough it’s been on him. I can see the pain in his eyes.”
Giorgio was born by caesarean section at St Richard’s Hospital in Chichester on June 16 at 12.30pm, weighing 6lbs. The pregnancy was normal and the couple had no idea before Giorgio’s birth he had the condition caused by a faulty gene.
Medics initially believed the injuries were caused during the birth, and later thought it could have been a bacterial infection from the amniotic sac. But blood tests sent over to Great Ormond Street Hospital revealed the tot had EB.
