Shane is a 4-year-old boy living in Doesburg and has been struggling with an eating disorder called Arfid since his first year of life. This makes eating impossible for him because he does not experience a feeling of hunger.
After several admissions to the hospital, Shane’s parents and the doctors were puzzled. Because Shane continued to lose weight and did not grow and also stopped his fluid and food intake, it was decided to place a nasogastric tube in the hope that Shane would gain weight.
Despite the tube feeding, Shane is now on top calories and not gaining weight, and his condition is getting worse. Shane is therefore also on a long waiting list at a clinic. During the 10-month treatment, the whole family will not be allowed to attend, and no education can be provided for Shane. To take a young child away from his parents in this way will have consequences for his future.
In the Netherlands there is still a lot of ignorance about the eating disorder Arfid. If you have or experience it, it will turn your life upside down.
In Austria there is a treatment where Shane, in the presence of his family, can undergo treatment for the eating disorder Arfid. However, this treatment lasts two weeks and is not reimbursed.
Because the parents are desperate, a donation campaign has been set up to help them so that Shane can undergo this treatment and be a child again. Shane is easily overtired and often sick with an unexplained high fever.
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