Nusrit Shaheen Nusrit Shaheen Nusrit "Nelly" Shaheen (born 1984) is the longest-living survivor of harlequin-type ichthyosis in the United Kingdom and one of the longest-living in the world. She lives in Coventry, and was one of nine children. Four of her siblings had harlequin, but died at a young age. Many survivors of harlequin are predicted to die before or during their teens, but Nelly is now in her 30s and contributing to living a long, healthy and rewarding life. Nelly's medical condition, harlequin-type ichthyosis, is a seriously rare genetic condition which means her skin forms up to 10x more than the
Ichthyosis hystrix gene. It is named after Helen Ollendorff Curth (1899-1982), a German-Jewish dermatologist, and Madge Thurlow Macklin (1893–1962), an American medical geneticist, and is one of the first syndromes named after two women. Also known as ichthyosis hystrix gravior or porcupine man. This disease is characterised by spiny scales which cover the entire body except the face, genitals, palms and soles. The only known cases were in Edward Lambert (known as the porcupine man) who was exhibited in front of the Royal Society in London in 1731 and three generations of his descendants. No cases of this disease are now known