The brother and sister have an extremely rare condition called Congenital Insensitivity To Pain (CIP) ,which stops their nerves recognizing physical distress. Paul (brother) and Vicki (sister) can feel sensations like wind like wind, temperature and pressure but they never feel pain. They have broken almost every bone of their body at least once because they don't feel any pain and always take it as fun. Vicki said " If our parents wouldn't let us have an ice cream we'd bend our fingers back until the bone snapped. It didn't hurt at all. At the age of four, it was hilarious but it feel guilty now about what we put our parents through" . Paul said " The doctors did lots of tests on us as children and put our condition into its own separate category. They gave us volts of electricity but we didn't flinch." Their mum (Christine) said " They never cried as a baby. Once I put the nappy pin through Paul's skin by accident. It drew blood but he didn't make a peep". Their father (Bob) thought CIP must be a gift for his son .He said " I thought , He'll turn into a boxer and makes us all loads of money but it's later when i realize what a nightmare it is ". Paul admits he wouldn't think twice about blackmailing his parents with his disability to get what he wanted when he was a child. He said " Sometimes I would break a bone just so i could go to the hospital. I just thought it as time away from school but i didn't realize the damage i was doing". As a result of their numerous past injuries, they suffer from crippling arthritis. Vicki has broken her left leg 17 times and her foot is slightly deformed from the constant reconstructive work. She has to use a wheelchair. "We have to look out for swelling, stiffness, heat or smell", explains Vicki. They have been told their condition is incurable and doctors still have no idea which genes are responsible.
CIP : An extremely rare disorder in which the sensation of pain cannot be felt from birth. Many sufferers die before adulthood as injuries and infections aren't picked up in time.
CIP : An extremely rare disorder in which the sensation of pain cannot be felt from birth. Many sufferers die before adulthood as injuries and infections aren't picked up in time.