Little Tabitha Stuttard is a little more picky over food than most kids. In fact, she refuses to eat all food, and instead has to be fed through a tube.
The two-year-old began feeding through a nasal-gastric tube at six months when she developed an aversion to eating anything. Her parents are now on a mission to raise £15,000 for a treatment that promises to allow her to enjoy food.
Doctors made the move to feed her through a tube when concerns were raised that she wasn't thriving enough after refusing to breastfeed. Her mother, Vicky Pitt, claims, "she hates it and they literally had to pin her down."
A small amount of progress has been made, with Tabitha now occasionally nibbling on half a Quaver or a Wotsit. However, this usually takes 20 minutes, she doesn't enjoy it and it's not enough to sustain her.
Tabitha has already been through a lot, as she was born with the birth defect Partial Agenesis of the Copus Callosum, which means the two halves of her brain are not properly linked.
However, her parents are determined to help wean her off her tube and onto real food. Internet research revealed that there is a clinic in Austria that specialises in doing just that, but the cost of the treatment is £15,000. As their application for funding through NHS Bolton has been rejected, they are now focussing on raising money through a Facebook group and raising awareness.
Source: Daily Mail