Toddler is the ‘only person in the world’ with rare condition that means he can’t eat or drink ANYTHING
Liam Denner has to be fed intravenously but the process can lead to liver failure, meaning the tot is in a race against time to find a diagnosis
A TODDLER is thought to be the only person in the world to suffer from a mysterious condition, which means he can't eat or drink anything - including water.
Two-year-old, Liam Denner has left medics baffled - unable to find an answer as to why the youngster's body seems to attack itself when he eats or drinks.
Liam also has a depleted immune system which makes him prone to infections.
He has to be fed intravenously, through a process called parenteral nutrition (TPN).
But TPN can lead to liver failure, meaning the tot is in a race against time to find a diagnosis.
Liam's mum Zoey Horrocks, 25, said: “It's scary. Every time he gets an infection or gets admitted into hospital, I don't know whether I will be coming home with him.
“They have done so many tests on him. They think he's one of a kind and he's the only person with this condition.
“The things they have seen inside, they have never seen before.
“He can't eat or drink anything, he can't even tolerate water. He is fed intravenously into his heart through a central line.
“He has battled so many infections. Having the line in his heart means if bugs grow, he gets quite poorly.
“He doesn't have an immune system and picks up so many bugs.”
Zoey said Liam's condition was discovered not long after he was born.
Now, every time he has anything to eat or drink his body attacks itself, causing him to vomit and excrete blood.
Zoey, a single mum, said: “He was born premature and he originally went into intensive care because he wasn't breathing properly.
“We then realised he wasn't feeding and he wouldn't tolerate it when we tried to feed him.
“After a week or two of trying to get him to feed he had a massive bleed and when the doctor picked him up blood was just streaming down his leg.”
Doctors initially thought Liam was suffering from a bowel condition and was transferred from Bolton hospital, Greater Manchester to Alder Hey Children's Hospital in Liverpool, Merseyside.
Baffled doctors then carried out numerous tests on Liam in a bid to find out his condition.
Zoey recalled: “They said it could be something really rare or really simple. They started loads of investigations and put him on TPN.
“They checked his bone marrow, they checked everything. There came a point when they were just stuck.”
Liam and Zoey were then referred to Great Ormond Street hospital in London to meet specialists, including one from Amsterdam, in a bid to get a diagnosis.