A SEVEN-YEAR-OLD Balloch girl with a rare incurable lung condition will never be able to enjoy summer because her body overheats and leaves her struggling to breathe.

Harper Mitchell Hyslop is the only person in the UK known to be living with a type of children's interstitial lung disease (chILD) that is so rare that it has no name.

While her friends are off enjoying their summer holidays, Harper carries oxygen in a backpack and stays at home with her parents Jodie, 38, and John, 40.

Harper is left panting "like a puppy" when the sun comes out because her lungs are so inflamed – and is aggravated in the heat.

At first, her parents were confused about what was happening to Harper when she became ill at five years old.

The couple watched their daughter for eight weeks as Harper's flu-like symptoms were initially misdiagnosed as a virus before being diagnosed with chILD in 2016.

Jodie said: "Her eyes got really dark, she was having flu-like symptoms. Her lungs had inflamed that much that she was struggling to breathe.

"She had lost so much weight, she didn't want to eat and she had lost 10-and-a-half Ibs.

"She was admitted to hospital and got an X-Ray which showed the results of her lungs. They just didn't function properly and it becomes worse when it's warm.

"She pants like a puppy. You know the same way a dog would have its tongue sticking out – it's like that.

"At first, we thought she was having a panic attack as her chest went up."

ChILD is a broad term for a group of rare lung diseases causing a lack of oxygen in the blood.

But Harper's condition is so rare to the point that it doesn't have a specific name.

The interstitial tissues are inflamed meaning Harper has difficulty passing oxygen.

Harper had to carry oxygen canisters when she was first diagnosed but she then started taking liquid oxygen from a backpack which Jodie believes "lasts much longer".

Social care worker Jodie says that her daughter needs frequent rest and is sad that her condition means that she has to miss out on hanging out with her friends.

Jodie added: "Due to the condition, it means although she can eat properly, she needs to have cool showers.

"She tends to rest frequently and she can't be out in the heat like her friends. She feels sad about that but it's about trying to teach her how to work with her condition.

"And she does well with that and she knows when she needs to rest when she's out with her dad.

"She loves going on her scooter and going to the park.

"To cool her down she would eat ice poles and yes it is a bit isolating but she does take it on her stride. Sometimes she feels like she can't be with her friends.

"But it is what it is and we try to adapt."

The family last went on holiday in 2014 to Fuerteventura and although summer may seem like a difficult time for Harper, winter also proves to be difficult.

She added: "During summer the oxygen runs out quicker, whereas, in winter, it lasts a bit longer.

"But you still have to watch because her liquid oxygen can freeze. So we had to knit covers for it."

The Reporter previously told Harper's story when the Vale tot appeared on Teletubbies in 2016. Harper, then aged five, was part of a group of West Dunbartonshire children to feature in the show, which was broadcast in February 2016 on CBBC.

In September 2016, Jodie and family launched a group called 'Harper's Helpers' to campaign for funding research into the disease.