Girl has horrific reaction to getting poison ivy in her eyes… and her sister shares the pictures with 60k people
She shared the photos on Snapchat from her hospital bed... and never expected them to go viral
YOU can always count on siblings to be there – and laugh at you – during times of embarrassment and discomfort.
It’s not the first time a girl has pranked her big sister, but normally the joke is not seen by 60,000 people.
Sadly when Emily Petrozza, from Connecticut, US, suffered a horrific reaction to poison ivy her sister was on hand to share it with the world.
The 21-year-old’s alien-like swollen face and puffy eyes have amused thousands of people since little sis Lauren tweeted: “DON’T GET POISON IVY ON YOUR EYES,” alongside two pictures of Emily.
Emily got poison ivy on her arm after a day of fishing with friends and taking care of feral cats in Newington, with pal Miranda.
It had happened before, and at first she wasn’t concerned.
However, after taking out her contact lenses, Emily’s face began to swell – and amused sister Lauren took some pictures before she went to bed.
The next morning, Lauren heard her sister crying and complaining that she needed to go to hospital.
Emily sent her sister a Snapchat picture from the walk-in centre, which shows her eyes swollen shut, and Lauren was quick to tweet the images to the world.
She told NBC Connecticut: “I think it’s funny. I thought people in my town would get a kick out of it, but I guess everyone else did too.”
Lauren added: “A lot of people said the same thing happened to them. Some people posted pictures of cartoon characters and said she looked like them.”
Meanwhile, she continued to mock her sister on social media, writing: “40K people laughing at my sister” and “my sisters deada** famous”.
At first Emily seemed annoyed, tweeting: “Lauren Petrozza is the most f***ed up person I’ve ever met” and “This is MISERABLE” as the post continued to circulate.
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But luckily, she eventually saw the funny side.
Speaking to Fox 61, Emily said: “I want people to know I’m not mad at my sister for posting the picture in the first place.
“We always joke around with each other and neither of us ever expected it to turn out like this.”
Emily is now taking medicine to treat the reaction, and is finally able to open her eyes.
She told Fox 61 she hopes the picture acts as a warning to others to wash their hands after doing activities outdoors.
The original post has been re-tweeted 33,000 times and has 58,000 likes.
What is poison ivy?
Poison ivy is a plant which causes a painful, itchy and often blistery rash on contact.
The rash is not contagious, but can take up to three weeks to disappear.
The plant, whose Latin name is Toxicodendron radicans, typically grows as a vine or on a bush.
It can be found in much of northern America - in open fields, wooded areas, on the roadside, and along riverbanks.
It can also be found in urban parks and back gardens.
The leaves are normally green - although Uma Thurman's hair was dyed red when she played the part in a Batman movie.
Poison ivy DOES NOT grow in the UK.
British kids are more likely to stumble across stinging nettles or giant hogweed - which can cause severe, painful burns.