India’s “werewolf sisters” seek funds for laser surgery

India's “werewolf sisters,” three young women afflicted with a rare genetic condition that causes them to be covered with thick hair from head to toe, are desperately seeking funds for laser surgery that will allow them to live normal lives.

Savita Sangli, 23, Monisha Sangli, 18, and Savitra Sangli, 16 – who live in a small village outside Pune, Maharashtra – all inherited hypertrichosis universalis from their father, according to India's Dainik Bhaskar newspaper. The disease affects only one out of a billion people.  But with India's massive population, the odds were against them.

“The girls have abnormal hair growth on their faces, affecting their eyebrows, nose and giving them appearance of having a beard,” according to the paper. They use hair removal cream to try to control the condition, but they cannot afford laser hair removal, which costs around $7000 in India.

Life would be tough anywhere for the three women, but India is not particularly sensitive to unique health conditions, and laws against discrimination are not enforced here — which explains why the oldest daughter gets a pink slip two weeks after she finds a new job. 

When her hair starts growing, her employers give her the sack.

(Fans of the Twilight series may be surprised to note that the girls' parents didn't exactly meet cute, either. Their mother was reportedly forced to marry their father at age 12.)