A girl suffering a world-first Benjamin Button-style condition which ages her tiny frame - has started school and is doing "really well".<br /><br />Isla Kilpatrick-Screaton, aged six, suffers from a strand of mandibuloacral dysplasia - which causes rapid ageing of the cells and makes her look much older than her years.<br /><br />But she hasn't let that hold her back and, after being denied education while forced to shield during the pandemic, little Isla has started school - and is thriving.<br /><br />Isla is now a full-time student in year one at Granby Primary School and is making friends with everyone.<br /><br />Mum Stacey Kilpatrick, 37, from Leicester, East Midlands, said: "She is so confident. Kids are running towards her rather than standing back and being hesitant to go towards her.<br /><br />"I feel so proud. I am happy she has settled in well. School can be a difficult time with bullies - that was a huge worry.<br /><br />Isla nearly suffocated in Leicester Royal Hospital after being born at 36 weeks, weighing 5lbs 10oz, on February 2, 2017. <br /><br />It was a month before proud dad Kyle, who works at a gym and Stacey, were able to take Isla home - but she was rushed back to the hospital soon after when she turned blue.<br /><br />Isla then had to be resuscitated after another emergency operation when she was three- months old, and it was found her tongue blocked her airway every time she became upset.<br /><br />She was diagnosed with mandibuloacral dysplasia in October 2017, a condition that causes a variety of abnormalities, involving bone development and skin colouring.<br /><br />Mother-of-two Stacey, who quit her job as a teaching assistant to become a full-time carer for Isla, said: "It takes a lot out of the family.<br /><br />Isla's mobility has worsened over the years and now requires a wheelchair. She also suffers hearing loss and has to wear hearing aids.<br /><br />Stacey is now looking for a new home for her and her daughters Isla and Paige, aged 10, as her privately-rented house is no longer fit for purpose.<br /><br />She added: "I can't get Isla's wheelchair into the house. I am having to carry Isla up the stairs.<br /><br />"She is six years old. she wants her own independence. We don't have a bath. I am having to bathe her in a baby bath.<br /><br />"I have tried to contact the council to see if there is a way we can work together to find a new home. I have been on the waiting list for five years."<br /><br />Despite Isla thriving at school, the housing situation has taken a toll on Stacey's physical and mental health.<br /><br />She added: "It has taken its toll physically. I am having to carry Isla around and trying to get her wheelchair into the house. I feel like a failure.<br /><br />"I feel like I can't provide for my family. As a mother, to be able to provide a safe environment for your family to live in, is something we dream of.<br /><br />"There are multiple steps to get in and out of the property. Isla's room is so small you can't even fit a bed in there - never mind her medical equipment.<br /><br />"But despite this, Isla is being her happy self."
