brokenandtwisted
October 1st, 2008, 05:42 PM
Girl who bleeds without being cut baffles doctors
Last Updated: 11:54AM BST 01 Oct 2008
http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k235/brokenandtwisted/460-blood-girl1_1001140c.jpg
Twinkle Dwivedi, 13, has a strange disorder which means she loses blood through her skin without being cut or scratched.
She has even undergone transfusions after pints of it seeped through her eyes, nose, hairline, neck and the soles of her feet.
Sometimes her condition is so bad she wakes up with her entire body covered in dried blood.
Villagers near her home in Uttar Pradesh, India, believe she must be cursed and shout cruel things in the street.
Her frantic family have sought help from numerous doctors as well as preachers from many different religions without success.
"I am desperate to help my daughter," said her mother Nandani Diwedi, 42.
"We are not superstitious people but we became so desperate.
"We've been to temples, mosques, churches and sufi saints, but nothing has cured her."
Indian medics now believe her condition is an extreme version of a rare blood platelet disorder for which they cannot find a cure.
However, a ray of hope has been offered by a British specialist, who believes Twinkle may have a different clotting disorder, for which treatment will be possible.
Last year, Twinkle was a normal 12-year-old who enjoyed school, painting and playing with her friends - but then she suddenly started bleeding between five and 20 times a day.
"I was so scared," she said.
"It didn't hurt. But it was scary and messy, and my friends thought it was disgusting.
"My school blouse went all red. No-one would come near me or play with me.
"I used to cry nearly every time it happened. But now I just keep quiet."
cont'd (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/india/3107900/Girl-who-bleeds-without-being-cut-baffles-doctors.html)
Last Updated: 11:54AM BST 01 Oct 2008
http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k235/brokenandtwisted/460-blood-girl1_1001140c.jpg
Twinkle Dwivedi, 13, has a strange disorder which means she loses blood through her skin without being cut or scratched.
She has even undergone transfusions after pints of it seeped through her eyes, nose, hairline, neck and the soles of her feet.
Sometimes her condition is so bad she wakes up with her entire body covered in dried blood.
Villagers near her home in Uttar Pradesh, India, believe she must be cursed and shout cruel things in the street.
Her frantic family have sought help from numerous doctors as well as preachers from many different religions without success.
"I am desperate to help my daughter," said her mother Nandani Diwedi, 42.
"We are not superstitious people but we became so desperate.
"We've been to temples, mosques, churches and sufi saints, but nothing has cured her."
Indian medics now believe her condition is an extreme version of a rare blood platelet disorder for which they cannot find a cure.
However, a ray of hope has been offered by a British specialist, who believes Twinkle may have a different clotting disorder, for which treatment will be possible.
Last year, Twinkle was a normal 12-year-old who enjoyed school, painting and playing with her friends - but then she suddenly started bleeding between five and 20 times a day.
"I was so scared," she said.
"It didn't hurt. But it was scary and messy, and my friends thought it was disgusting.
"My school blouse went all red. No-one would come near me or play with me.
"I used to cry nearly every time it happened. But now I just keep quiet."
cont'd (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/india/3107900/Girl-who-bleeds-without-being-cut-baffles-doctors.html)