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This woman has taken the phrase 'motherly love' to the extreme - by tending to her mummified son's body for 18 years.

When Joni Bakaradze died at the age of 22 his family refused to bury him so that his young son could learn to love him.

It meant that every day for the past 18 years, Joni's mum has been tenderly looking after his body in a bid to preserve it.

And every year on his birthday, Joni gets a change of clothes!

At first his mum used traditional embalming techniques, but after a while she started using her own methods.

She said: "One night I had a dream when a voice told me to treat Joni using by rubbing alcohol so from then on I've being using wet sheets dipped in alcohol to preserve the body.

"You must not leave the body without the sheets overnight as the skin will turn black as charcoal.

She added: "For 10 years I've been changing his clothes on his birthday. Only the past four years I was unable to do so.

"He was a good man, a good husband, not the way he is now.

"I was sick lately and could not tend to his body, that had an effect on him.

"My son is handsome. When I use the sheets his skin will be white again and everything will be normal."

Explaining why she has not buried his body she explains: "He wanted his kid to see him that way. I believe from that point on the kid started to love his father.