SCENARIO: John and Kalea are surprised when their son Tyler is born with blue skin. Neither parent has this condition and they do not know relatives that do either. After interviews, research, and genetic testing, doctors rule out environmental factors. They decide that blue skin is a rare condition caused by a mutation in the human population. In this condition, the hemoglobin proteins are changed. The changed hemoglobin in the blood binds too tightly to oxygen and cannot release oxygen to the cells. The lack of oxygen makes the skin appear blue.
