A teenager has been told horror drug thalidomide may be her last chance to lead a normal life.

Isabel Rankine, 19, suffers from a rare skin condition, which means she cannot tolerate bright light.

Now doctors have presented her with a last-ditch attempt to leave the shadows behind and lead a normal life.

They say thalidomide offers her the best - possibly her only - remaining chance of leading a normal life.

Isabel wants to live a normal life - see her friends, go shopping, go clubbing and just be able to go outside on a sunny day.

She also wants a family one day. She fears taking thalidomide could sacrifice her chances of having a healthy baby.

To Isabel, the name evokes haunting thoughts of children deformed by the drug given to their mother's to calm morning sickness.

Isabel suffers from solar urticaria. She cannot go out in the sun or spend more than a few moments in any brightly-lit environment.

Years of medical tests and treatment have so far failed to find a cure or even a way to control her symptoms.

Isabel, of Old Town, Eastbourne, became ill four years ago.

Her consultant, Professor John Hawk at St Thomas's Hospital, London, has advised her to take the controversial drug. Isabel, however, is adamant she will not touch it.

A spokeswoman for St Thomas's Hospital said thalidomide had an immuno-suppressive effect and had proved very effective with some forms of light sensitivity.

Isabel said: "I want babies one day. I value the family and I would love children. I don't want to do anything to jeopardise that. "

Prof Hawk has given Isabel a prescription for the drug. It is still in her pocket.

In between sometimes lengthy stays in St Thomas's, she is trying to lead as normal a life as possible.

Although she wants to work, she cannot tolerate fluorescent lighting. She cannot go to pubs or clubs with friends if there is UV or bright lights.

She makes regular trips to London, and has found herself in the limelight, as one of the case studies on the City Hospital TV programme.

Through the summer, while the rest of us stripped off and soaked up the sun, Isabel remained behind closed doors with the curtains drawn.

She said: "I hated the summer. I couldn't wait for it to end."

She has already tried light therapy and immunosuppressants and is due back at St Thomas's next month for a final attempt at altering the balance of her blood. After that there are no more options.

Isabel said: "I think Professor Hawk thinks if things get bad enough, I will give in. But I can't see me ever taking thalidomide."