VIDEO: Little girl whose skin sheds multiple times a day due to ultra-rare condition starts school and lands her first modelling job
A little girl whose skin sheds like a snake multiple times throughout the day has hit two major milestones by starting kindergarten and landing her first modelling job.
Harper Foy, six, is thought to be one of only 20 people in the USA with harlequin ichthyosis (HI) – which makes her skin grow 10 times faster than normal and means she spends up to four hours in the shower every day to soothe it.
But her mum, Angie Foy, 44, a real estate broker, of Edmonds, Washington, USA, insists the condition has not held her back, saying: “There was a time when we were worried that she would never be able to go to school.”
She added: “There are other people with her condition that we’re aware of who are home schooled, so the fact that Harper has been able to start kindergarten this September is a miracle for us.”
Ichthyosis, according to the NHS, is a condition that causes widespread and persistent thick, dry, “fish-scale” skin.
But harlequin ichthyosis, which Harper has, is an extremely rare form where the scaling is severe and requires intensive care at birth.
It also means the little girl takes an hour-long shower before school and is picked up at lunchtime for a pitstop at home to take her second shower.
When she returns after school, she takes her third shower, then having her fourth just before bedtime.
Angie, who lives with her husband, Kevin, 43, a project manager, and their three children, Harper, Sam, 21, and Jaxon, 10, said: “The showers are an inconvenience, but they are essential for Harper to be able to go about her day.”
She added: “Because her skin sheds so much, it becomes itchy and sore, so the showers alleviate a lot of that discomfort.
“We were worried that she would struggle to make friends, especially because she misses lunch at school to come home and shower, but she is such an outgoing girl.
“She has lots of friends at school and they are all very conscious of her condition and help her if she needs it.”
She added: “Kids are so resilient, and Harper is no different.”
Angie now hopes her daughter will be able to continue her education at school right through to her teens.
She said: “I’m not sure how it’s going to work as Harper gets older.”
She added: “The schoolwork will naturally get more difficult, so it will be harder for her to miss things to return home for a shower.
“But we will figure that out when we reach that point.
“With her attitude, I’m sure Harper will achieve anything she puts her mind to.”
As well as starting school this year, Harper has achieved another goal, by becoming a child model.
Angie said: “Harper has such a beautiful sense of humour and personality, you can’t help but love her when you meet her.
“She’s got this unmatched personality, this sense of fun.”
She added: “She was signed up to a two-year contract with a modelling agency just before the pandemic but, unfortunately, that meant there weren’t any jobs coming in.
“Now that the world is starting to return to normal, she’s just shot her first modelling campaign.
“We can’t give too much away, as it hasn’t been released yet, but she can’t wait to pursue her dream of seeing her face on billboards.”
Due to Harper’s condition, she did not have her hair and make-up done like models usually do, but Angie says she still felt very much part of things on the day of the shoot.
“Her skin and scalp are too sensitive to get her hair and make-up done, but they had music blasting and Harper was dancing around the room,” said Angie.
“She loves Ed Sheeran, so they were playing his music for her too.”
She added: “Harper loves dancing and music. I always say she is an old soul.
“The commercial will come out early next year and she is so excited about seeing herself in it.”
After endless doctors’ appointments at the start of her life, it is great for her mum to now see Harper blossoming.
She said: “The early days were spent doing a lot of research on her condition and hearing different things from doctors on what course of treatment they were going to offer next.
“It was a very scary and uncertain time for us and now, to be out the other side, feels like a dream.
“Harper will always be different from other people and her skin will always need special care and attention, but we will cross each bridge as we get to it.”
She added: “I used to worry a lot about how the world would treat a girl like Harper, with her condition.
“As her mother, I still worry sometimes, but I also have no doubt that she will take the world by storm.
“She’s a beautiful girl inside and out and she deserves a full life of fun and happiness.”
Visit Harper’s Instagram page at www.instagram.com/harper.incredible
