A three year old toddler, Mandy Moore, is suffering from a rare condition called Pica, that makes her crave everything from the carpets to paint to washing powder, to bugs, stones, plastic and anything else but normal food. Pica, a rare impulsive disorder meaning she has cravings to eat non-food.
It can be potentially life-threatening, with risks ranging from vomiting, constipation and infections to blockages in the gut and intestines, choking and poisoning.In some cases surgery may be needed to remove objects from an individual’s gut or to repair tissue injuries. Her mum, 26 year old Catherine Mullins had to quit her job to keep a constant eye on Maddie to make sure she doesn’t choke or eat something that could damage her insides. Her partner, who is 29 years old also quit his job so they could both watch her. She said: “If she could, she would eat everything. I’m always worried about what she’ll try to eat next. Everything goes to her mouth.
“Sometimes, I have to put my fingers in her mouth and hook the food out to stop her choking. “You literally can’t take your eyes off her for a minute so our house never shuts down.”
She noticed Maddie started putting strange objects in her mouth just before she turned one, when she began crawling.Maddie’s behaviour prompted tests and assessments at her two-year health check and she was diagnosed with Pica in September last year. She also suffers from autism, developmental delay and sensory process disorder, which causes her to bounce, spin and climb at any opportunity. The family live in Bournemouth, Dorset At night she has to be zipped into a specialist bed to stop her harming herself while her parents and four-year-old sister Lilly sleep.
According to the mum, as she gets older, her interest in normal food has drastically reduced and she only eats foods of a particular colour and texture - like potato waffles, fish fingers and chicken burgers.
Catherine said:“It started with her picking up and eating small items of fluff and paper, any bits she could find from the floor. “Then her cravings became more and more intense. We can’t have anything on the walls like displays or paintings because she’ll eat them. “Lilly can’t do any drawing or crafts because Maddie will eat the pencils and paints.
“I literally have to hide anything dangerous. We have child locks but she’s very clever and susses them out. “Yesterday she ate a whole pack of chalks when I wasn’t looking, but her favourites are Play-Doh, sand and dirt.” “I can’t go anywhere with her - not even to a cafe or the supermarket," said Catherine.
“Our flat is so small, there isn’t space to even use the sensory equipment we have been funded which would really help Maddie.“It’s hard because due to her condition she can’t go outside much either. She needs to be safe because of her complex needs so to have somewhere where she could have the space to play and Lilly could rest too, would be a dream come true.
“Nothing in our life is normal, every aspect is affected and it’s very tough on Lilly too. “Every day is a struggle but she’s worth it. Maddie is such a character. “I feel really lucky because she is so quirky and different. I love her so much.” Source: UK Mirror
An affected student writes in...
I attended LASU (Anthony Campus) and graduated in the year 2009 but as I write this, we are yet to receive our results from the school authorities.
The current minister said that Nigerians who are complaining of hardship are all PDP Loyalists.
One person died this morning following a fatal accident involving a Sports Utility Van and another vehicle on the Otedola Bridge towards Berger, Lagos State.
The accident which occurred in the early hours of Saturday resulted in heavy vehicular traffic worsened by the fuel queues.
it was not clear how many passengers were involved in the crash but traffic authorities have cleared the wreckage.
Sector Commander Zone 2, FRSC Lagos State, Nseobong Akpabio, explained how the accident occurred.
“A truck carrying container, descending from the bridge from the Mobil (filling station) towards Otedola Bridge had a brake failure and crashed into vehicles, one of which was the pickup that was closely in front of the truck.
“From the reports from the hospital – the Lagos State Emergency Centre in Ojota, one person was confirmed dead and there were injuries.”
He added that the FRSC officials have commenced further investigation into the causes of the accident as they would not base their conclusion only on the driver’s claim that it was a brake failure.
He noted, however, that the Otedola Bridge area has been identified to be accident-prone and warned motorist using the road to always allow ample distance between them and other vehicles.
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According toTemitope Omotayowho shared the photo, the men and women pictured here are students of Yoruba language at University of Wisconsin, Madison, U.S.
“So if you are still ashamed of your culture and you feel reluctant to speak your language with your children then na you know o. If we don’t teach our children our language.
I am sure these new set of people who are passionate about learning the language will teach them.
I am referring to Hausa, Yoruba Igbo, Swahili & other African languages” he said
Ooni of Ife and his brand new bride finally pictured together in his palace at Ile-Ife, Osun State. They look cute together.
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The Federal Government has apologized to Nigerians for the hardship caused by the prevailing power situation in the country, blaming it on gas failure as well as sabotage and vandalisation of power infrastructure.
The Federal government said there would be a decent improvement in the power situation from this weekend, as ongoing remedial efforts that will double the current power supply to 4,000WM.