Holding back tears, Cristina Perez gently clings to a towel as her mother, Cindi Hofer, applies a special ointment to the sores on her back, preparing it for bandages. The painful process of changing bandages can last anywhere from one to three hours. Cristina was born with recessive dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa. Her skin is barely anchored to her body and in part, as fragile as the wings of a butterfly.
Photos by Jamie Scott Lytle
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- Cristina Perez, 23, of San Marcos in her living room with her dog Simba. Cristina has a very rare genetic disorder called Epidermolysis Bullosa.
- Holding back tears, Cristina Perez gently clings to a towel as her mother, Cindi Hofer, applies a special ointment to the sores on her back, preparing it for bandages. The painful process of changing bandages can last anywhere from one to three hours. Cristina was born with recessive dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa. Her skin is barely anchored to her body and in part, as fragile as the wings of a butterfly.
- Cristina's mom, Cindi Hofer, applies lotion to Cristina's hands and arms to prepare them for bandages.
- Preparing for blood work, Cristina winces as Phlebotomist, John Hunyady, sticks a needle into her upper arm while Rachael Bello, left, grasps the arm as a make-shift tourniquet at Children's Hospital in San Diego. Cristina's skin is too fragile and will peel off if a real tourniquet is used.
- Cristina and her mother, Cindi, dye Cristina's bandages a skin tone color in the kitchen of their San Marcos Apartment. Cristina began to dye her bandages to match her skin color so she wouldn't attract attention.
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