Two-year-old Mollie Murray of Montrose, Scotland, can now play at home with the curtains open after UV-resistant film was installed at her home last month. Mollie has a rare genetic disorder, xeroderma pigmentosum (XP), that makes her skin extremely sensitive to ultraviolet light, and she is the only child in the UK known to have her specific variant, according to extra.ie.
Her mother, Kirsty Campbell, a 35-year-old charge nurse, said Mollie burns all year round and has burnt in November before. "The only time it's safe to go outside is in the dark. I want to keep her inside at all times to keep her safe, but we can't do that – she needs some sort of normality," Ms Campbell told extra.ie.
Mollie was in and out of hospital from the time she was a baby, suffering from symptoms including seizures and severe reflux. She first experienced severe sunburn on an overcast day in May 2025. The situation escalated when it happened again two months later. She was eventually diagnosed with XPF. Doctors have advised that Mollie is 10,000 times more likely to develop skin cancer than other children.
The condition has no cure and puts Mollie at risk of severe sun damage year-round, meaning she can only safely go outside in protective, full-length clothing or after dark. "The only time it's safe to go outside is in the dark," Ms Campbell said.
The UV-resistant film was installed at her home on July 15, funded by The Archie Foundation, a charity that provides support to babies, children and families during a hospital stay or after a bereavement. The charity gifted £600 to cover the film for the whole downstairs of her dad's house and Mollie's bedroom upstairs. Ms Campbell said the support has been "indescribable" and a "massive help" for the family.
"I cried for about 20 minutes when I was told the money would come through. Mollie wouldn't have the same quality of life at her dad's house without it," she said. "It means she can do simple things like look outside for the postman or draw in daylight. My ex-partner was having to take playpark equipment into his house as it wasn't safe outside. She's so happy running around like a normal child."
Rebecca Duncan, business development and fundraising manager for The Archie Foundation in Tayside, said it's "wonderful" to hear how the charity's support has helped make a difference for Mollie and her family.
Ms Campbell has spoken out to raise awareness of Mollie's condition and to thank The Archie Foundation for the "vital" funding they provided to help Mollie's dad, Ryan Murray, 34, coat his home in UV-resistant film last month.