Are human vampires merely fictional and a result of our imaginations and superstitions? The answer is no, and a 45-year-old U.S. mom who drinks nearly two liters of human blood a month is a living example to prove it.
Julia Caples, who stays with her two kids Alexi (11) and Ariel (24) in Wilkers-Barre, Pa., first tasted blood as a teenager and has been sucking the blood of her willing human donors for the past 30 years to remain young, Mirror UK reported.
For the purpose, Caples, who is a care-worker, has designed a special sterilized knife to make small openings on the donor's neck and to suck their blood through it. Caples drinks blood during the drinking sessions held at her residence or at her local occult and oddities store, and according to the mom, it helps her to stay young and beautiful.
"I feel more beautiful than any other time when I'm regularly drinking," she told Mirror. "I'm also extremely healthy with no major health problems, and I have an abundance of energy all the time. At times I've drunk half-a-gallon a month."
Caples, who got to know the real taste of blood during an intense kissing session with her boyfriend, started developing a liking for it. The occasional habit became regular after she tied the knot with counselor Donald in a vampire-themed wedding in October 2000.
The couple, who used to drink blood from each other and from vampire fans at New York nightclubs, is separated now, and Donald hasn't tasted blood since their son's birth.
Caples is not the only real vampire who has caught headlines recently. An article published by the Journal of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics reports the case of a 23-year-old man in Turkey who used to cut his body and collect the blood in a container to satisfy his addiction to blood.
According to reports by LiveScience, drinking blood is not a good idea, as it is toxic and rich in iron. It is often difficult for the body to remove the excess iron, resulting in an iron overdose and further in liver or nervous system damage.
However, "real vampires" have some explanations to justify their actions and thirst for human blood: "A good portion of our body would feel the lack of blood it does make sense that we would feel the constant need to get blood from an outside source to feel reasonably normal," a report appearing in the Vampirewebsite stated, adding that, "any blood that we ingested would be immediately drawn into our body, much like a dehydrated person's body quickly puts any water they drink to use."
