‘Real life ninja turtle’ boy born with rare skin condition giving him a ‘shell’

A baby boy has been nicknamed "little ninja turtle" after he was born with an extremely rare skin condition giving him a "turtle shell" growth on his back.

James McCallum, 19 months, left his parents and doctors baffled when he was born on August 19, 2021, weighing 6lbs 14oz at Morton Plant Hospital in Florida, US.

Mum Kaitlyn, 35, and her husband Tim, 41, initially thought scabbing and lumps on the baby's back were a birthmark.

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However, the mass kept growing. After two months James was diagnosed with giant congenital melanocytic nevus, which causes benign malformations to form because of faulty pigment cell development.

In February 2022 and May 2022, James underwent two surgeries to remove the bulk of it, allowing him to lie on his back. Doctors also replaced the nevus with healthy skin from his back.

Kaitlyn said: "Before it was removed it had grown rapidly and had become like a turtle shell on his back.

"It got to the point that we had to sleep him on his side as he couldn't put his head down flat because it was so bulky.

"It covered 75% of his back at the start and it had started to get fattier and more lumpy – it seemed like it was growing.

"He's so much happier and more comfortable and we'll just be happy to get all of it gone by the summer."

Kaitlyn and Tim began the process of getting the nevus removed when it started affecting James' sleep.

"We had to speak to a plastic surgeon for removal as it comes with an increased risk of melanoma," she said.

"They started the process of removal and over the course of a couple of months we did two different surgeries to remove the bulk of it. We were very happy with the results.

"They did tests of the removed skin and they came back negative for diseases, which was great."

Kaitlyn and Tim also joined a Facebook group that supports people with the condition, learning it can be very itchy for sufferers which explained why the tot was constantly scratching his back.

They also learned they would have to limit his physical activity as nevi don't produce sweat glands.

Kaitlyn said: "They seem like little trivial things but they were big things to us.

"This condition a lot of the time occurs on the face and we felt fortunate that he only had it on his back."

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