Art has become an escape for a young North Texas girl living with a rare skin condition known as "butterfly skin," where even the lightest touch can cause pain. 

Through painting, 17-year-old Brianna Ibarra says she's found happiness, and now, her creativity is helping raise thousands of dollars for a special program at Cook Children's Hospital.

Living with butterfly skin

"I have Epidermolysis Bullosa. It's a rare skin condition, with any friction my skin blisters up easily or tears," said Ibarra. Doctors say the rare genetic condition affects one in every 50,000 children. Two of her other siblings were also born with it.

"It was difficult because we didn't know anything about the condition, and through the years we've been learning a little bit more about it, and it's been a little bit easier with the other kids," said Brianna's mom, Leslie Rojas.

Daily care takes hours

Unfortunately, there is no cure, and it's a condition that requires a lot of patience. "Day to day, it's lots of wound wrapping. A couple of hours it depends on what part of my body we are treating," said Ibarra.

Brianna says when she's painting, she forgets about the stress. "It's been a blessing to see, she found something to express herself as she's very limited to things outdoors, especially. She's very sensitive to the sun," said Rojas.

Designing shoes with meaning

Brianna's passion for art has brought her amazing opportunities. Twisted X, a shoe brand out of Decatur, partnered with the hospital and selected Brianna to design a shoe. Right off the bat, the teen says she began to sketch out her ideas. 

"The butterflies are the diagnosis, the cactus is the pain, itchiness I get from it, the flowers are inner beauty, and the background color is my favorite color… My favorite element is the back. My name and a big flower on it," said Ibarra.

Shoes now sold nationwide

 inside the hospital's gift shop and are available at several retailers across the country.

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