A man with a rare skin condition, which makes his face
look like he has been burned in a fire, has been relentlessly bullied
his entire life by people who think he is cursed.
Some
people even believe Antonio Reloj, who was born with a severe form of
ichthyosis which causes his skin to harden, crack and appear burned, is
not actually human.
The 26-year-old’s mother
abandoned him when he was 12, leaving his grandmother to raise him in
remote Aklan province, in the Philippines.
Antonio’s
condition worsened as his skin became thicker and harder, and his
eyesight started to deteriorate as it spread across his face.
He
used to enjoy visiting the local market and church but now spends his
days hidden in a wooden home after residents started to believe he was
an evil spirit and not actually human.
Antonio now has some hope of being treated after Good Samaritans took him to capital city Manila to help him find treatment.
Antonio,
who dreams of becoming an electrician, said he spends his days
listening to the radio and tinkering with the electronics.
He said: ”When I was a child I was happy to go outside. People say that I am a ghost. I stay at home now.