Parents of Russian girl born with no lips or chin told to 'put mask on her'

Parents face a challenging ordeal having to protect their child born with half a face from cruel prejudices, shockingly from family members and strangers.

Elena and Yury Shpengler, from Russia, were stunned when their daughter was born seven months early to discover she had no lips or chin, the Daily Mail reported. Equally baffled were the doctors who delivered Darina, now three, and initially urged her parents to leave her at the hospital. They refused and took her home.

As Darina develops, the support from the doctors has declined, her parents say, according to the report. "Darina does not have lips. Her mouth is constantly open and all the time in blood," Mrs Shpengler told The Siberian Times.  

The family who lives in Siberia were forced to leave their home after most of their family disowned the child. Some relatives have gone so far as to complain to the police reporting the couple damaged Darina's mouth on purpose. Elena revealed her sister is the only one to support the family through this challenging time. Strangers also often remark about the child and have even told the couple to put a mask on the young girl.

Social service teachers have to visit the child who loves to sing, once a week to give her an education because she is not allowed access to the local kindergarden. The couple claim they were told Darina might scare the other children.

Despite, the bullying her parents refuse to hide their child away and accept her for the way she is.  

Now, the couple has been raising funds to pay for medical treatment in Moscow. Surgeons are currently attempting to rebuild her face. She will have to face major surgery every two years. In the first surgery, doctors have successfully sewed Darina's mouth to make it smaller. The next step is to make lips and grow bones and muscles for her chin.