Tomm Tennent: The unique baby born with enough skin for a five-year-old child 😔

“My heart came up to my throat, but at the same time it was lovely to pick him up and cuddle him,” she said.

In total, Tomm would spend two and a half months in a medical center, undergoing tests and analysis. Needless to say, scientists faced a huge challenge. Since Tomm was the first child on record born with so much skin, there were no precedents to turn to.

Of course, it was a very trying time for the Tennent family. No parent with a newborn baby wants to spend months at the hospital with all that entails. However, Geoff and Debbie, found energy when looking at their strong baby boy. Tomm always remained a lovable toddler, totally unaware of his condition.

Throughout this time, doctors continued to do everything in their power to find a solution to Tomm’s medical problems. After digging deeper they finally discovered something unexpected. The experts saw similarities between the way the Tomm looked and the Chinese dog breed Shar Pei. That discovery led them to some answers.

Researchers discovered Tomm’s level of Hyaluronic acid, found in skin, was 100 times higher than normal, which is also the case with Shar Pei puppies.

Given that the levels of Hyaluronic acid drop for Shar Peis as they grow up – leaving them with a more normal skin appearance – doctors hoped and prayed it would be the case for Tomm.