Rare Anatomy: Bones & Blood

National Geographic investigates the science behind severe genetic disorders and the extraordinary people who live with them. Bones: Imagine breaking a rib just by coughing or having an internal organ turning to bone. These are just two of the many life-threatening challenges faced by Jake Grys and Holly Pullano, two people with extraordinary genetic bone disorders. Jake is a spirited 9-year-old boy who has broken practically every bone in his body, and Holly is a 28-year-old whose muscles and tendons can turn to bone after the slightest impact. Using advanced animation, National Geographic travels inside Jake's diminutive frame to discover what make his bones so brittle and explores Holly's inner workings to find out how organs can turn into bone, progressively encasing her in a second skeleton. Blood: Twelve-year-old Son Pham's face has been taken over by a huge balloon-like mass, caused by abnormal blood vessels. The severity of his condition is so staggering that leading specialists have designed a complex, years-long treatment program specifically for him. National Geographic follows as Son undergoes an invasive -- and risky --procedure, part of a series designed to diminish the malformation. Sixteen-year-old Michael Politzer's vascular system has spread into a labyrinth that mangles and reshapes his organs, causing bone and tissue overgrowth. Follow Michael as he tries to live like a normal teenager, while fighting the continuous attacks of his own body that have forced him to have amputations and his spleen removed.

• documentary
• nonfiction