MUM THOUGHT HER 'MELTING SKIN' BABY WOULD BE BETTER OFF DEAD - BUT HER HOMEMADE BALM CURED HIM

Stephanie Smith says at one point she believed her son Isaiah would be better off dead than living in such pain for the rest of his life.

Isaiah Quinn skin improving, a few flares still came, but lots more smiles & much less gauze

A woman has described the horror of watching her baby’s skin flare up and blister so much it seemed like it was ‘melting off’. Stephanie Smith, 35, told how at one point she believed her son Isaiah would be better off dead than living in such pain for the rest of his life. And she blames topical steroids for worsening the skin condition, which doctors thought was eczema but Stephanie believes was caused by intolerance to medication.

Began wrapping in gauze and topical antibiotic, after returning from Emory Hospital in Atlanta. Still multiple baths a day with hot burning skin. Kept cool damp cloths on head and neck for months. Protect: The family began wrapping Isaiah in gauze and topical antibiotic and kept cool damp cloths on head and neck for months
Stephanie said: "Isaiah’s skin was falling off, like it was melting. It was oozing and weeping into his eyes. "It was like he had no skin. He was in agony. At one point it was so bad I thought, “if this is going to be his life, please take him”." Isaiah, now two and a half, first suffered flares at three months old. A rash developed around a cut in his cheek, and after that his skin became red raw whenever anyone wearing perfume or clothes with fabric softener came close. Doctors said it was probably eczema, and advised low-dose, over the counter topical steroids.

Tiny: Isaiah Quinn aged six months

His mum, from Atlanta, Georgia, said: "His skin cleared up but a week later it came back, so we applied more. This went on in a cycle over two months. "Then his hair started to fall out. He became sick and lethargic. "But all the doctors I took him to just said it was eczema. They told me to stop breastfeeding him as the milk protein could make it worse." Isaiah was taken to hospital at five months old - floppy, red raw and burning up. Doctors prescribed stronger topical steroids and injected a type of liquid steroids into his scalp. After five days in hospital, Isaiah’s skin was clearer but with a bluish tint - and he was smiling again. But within 48 hours his skin had turned blood red with lesions and oozing, and he wouldn’t stop screaming.

Isaiah Quinn - Third hospitalization. Spiraled into renal failure from early use of steroids & loss of appetite as an infant. Skin infections and edema (swelling) Fighter: Isaiah was so poorly and in such pain his mum thought he might be better dead

Isaiah’s skin was so sensitive that the family became reclusive, cutting off contact with anyone from the outside world who might be an infection risk to their son. His only comfort came from bathing in lukewarm water, so Stephanie would spend hours with him in the sink as the tap ran over his skin. They placed surgical gauze on his face, strapped nappies to his hands to stop him scratching during the night and carried cool, damp cloths everywhere they went.

Isaiah Quinn skin improving, a few flares still came, but lots more smiles & much less gauze Bouncer: Isaiah Quinn is well on the road to recovery

Stephanie said: ‘We couldn’t even hold him. "Every time our skin touched his, it would blister and ooze like crazy. I couldn’t even touch my cheek to his. "We couldn’t use towels, because they were too rough on his skin. Instead we used thin cotton sheets. "He was most comfortable in his bathtub, the water pouring over him in the sink. But he was still in pain. He would wail, and I would cry along. "People asked what we had done to our baby. They asked, “has he been in a fire?” "He looked like he had third degree burns. I once heard a nurse say, “you have got to come and see this kid”. "In his buggy, I would put a light pillowcase over him to keep people from gawking. "We were pretty much homebound for a year. It was too easy for him to pick up an infection or have a reaction, and I was sick of the stares."

Morgan Bishop, aged 5, suffers such severe eczema he can barely walk and is in such pain. The family are at breaking point, having tried almost every treatment available on the NHS - including a form of chemotherapy Brave: Morgan Bishop, aged five, suffers such severe eczema he can barely walk.

The family's story echoes that of five-year-old Morgan Bishop, who heartbreakingly confessed to his parents that he would rather die than endure his agonising eczema. Stephanie decided to tell of her own experiences spotting Morgan’s story, which went viral earlier this year. The Bishop family saw donations on the GoFundMe page set up to raise money for pioneering hydrotherapy treatment for Morgan skyrocket from £3000 to £43,000 after the Mirror Online published their story. When Isaiah was at his worst Stephanie and husband Nelson, 36, scoured the internet for help. They eventually found Itsan.org, a forum about topical steroid withdrawal. She said: "It was all about the side-effects of topical steroids, and how skin conditions can get worse when you stop using them,’ said Stephanie. "I scrolled through picture after picture of children with skin like Isaiah. Red raw skin, flaking off and oozing." Following her mother’s instinct, Stephanie stopped applying topical steroids and began to develop her own homeopathic balms. Having made candles in the past, she bought a book on the topic and experimented with oils and bases, trying each on a tiny patch of Isaiah’s skin. A blend of lemongrass and zinc, applied under gauze, worked best. She said: "As time went on we saw patches of clear skin. "Isaiah would walk to the kitchen island, where I kept the balm, point at the jar and point to his face. It clearly soothed him. "I took about 50 photos a day to see the progress, because it could change moment to moment." By October 2014, 10 months after starting to use the balms, Isaiah had smooth, clear skin. Stephanie said: "We still don’t know for sure what caused the original contact dermatitis. "But looking back, because of severe medical allergies in my family history, I think it might have been a reaction to medication. "I had a C-section and was given Ibuprofen afterwards, and I believe that was passed on through my breast milk. "Every time he was dosed antibiotics, he had a reaction. "We saw 35 doctors altogether. They all said it was eczema. I want to show them all the photos showing how Isaiah’s skin cleared up. "Now he has no allergies and nothing happens if he is near someone wearing perfume. I can wear deodorant again and wash my hair with scented shampoo. "He is like any other toddler. He chatters away, runs everywhere and is into everything. "He helps me around the house. He’s so sweet spirited." Stephanie added: "We lost the first year of his life. I wasn’t able to kiss him or hold him. "Now we squeeze him all the time. He is a squeezable little guy."