When Hassan was born in Syria, doctors immediately knew he had a problem. His delicate skin was as breakable as butterfly wings. He had a condition called epidermolysis bullosa. That disease is caused by a big problem in a person’s blueprint (genes). Two of the layers of a person’s skin do not stick together. 

All kids get scrapes and bruises. Normally, careful cleaning and a bandage make everything better. Skin heals so fast kids forget they got hurt at all! But it doesn’t work that way for kids like Hassan. Even bumping into something can break their skin and put them in serious danger.

In 2015, Hassan went to the hospital. He was seven years old. He had blisters on his arms, legs, and back. They could not heal. They could only get worse. He lost about 60 percent of the outer layer of his skin. Doctors in Germany tried to save him. They gave him some skin from his father’s body. That didn’t work. Hassan had questions: Why do I suffer from this disease? All children can run around and play. Why can’t I play soccer?

Hassan needed new skin. His life depended on it. And God had a miracle in store for him.

The German doctors called Michele De Luca, a doctor at the University of Modena in Italy. Dr. De Luca and his colleagues took a small piece of Hassan’s skin from an area of his body that was okay. In the lab, they added a normal version of his bad gene to his skin cells. Then they grew him new skin!

Altogether, the doctors grew nearly nine square feet of skin. The new skin was transplanted onto the boy. It covered 80 percent of his body.

Two years later, the doctors say Hassan is doing so well that he doesn't need any medication. He has gone back to school. He even plays soccer.