Girl, 6, is ALWAYS hungry due to rare disorder which means she never feels full
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A six-year-old girl with a ferocious appetite is constantly hungry due to a rare disorder which means she never feels full.
Megan Adams-Fitzgerald's family have to hide food from her and sometimes eat in secret.
Her parents have banned words such as "snack" and "dinner" being said in front of her because she gets easily distressed if she is not allowed to eat.
The young girl is battling an obsessive compulsion to eat because the part of her brain which should tell her she is full up is missing, the Hull Daily Mail reports.
Megan has Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS) - a rare congenital disorder characterised by a ferocious appetite which causes her to be constantly hungry.
(Image: Hull Daily Mail / MEN Media)
Despite her meals being served on time, with breakfast by 8am, a snack at 10am, lunch at midday on the dot, a second snack at 2pm and tea not a second later than 4pm, Megan is hungry 24/7.
Her parents will never be able to to fulfil her hunger and the only thing which is stopping her from becoming obese is their dedication to a carefully controlled diet.
"Megan is obsessive about food," said her devoted mum Tracy Fitzgerald, 35, from Bilton.
"We can't eat in front of her, we can't say the words dinner, food or snack in front of her because if she hears those words she thinks it must mean it's coming and she wants it now.
"It's very hard on my four-year-old son, he can only eat when she eats, or we eat in secret."
(Image: Hull Daily Mail / MEN Media)
PWS is recognised as one of the most medically complex syndromes to live with and care for by medical professionals – and there is no cure.
It affects one in 15,000 people and in addition to the insatiable appetite, symptoms of PWS include developmental delays, learning difficulties, stubbornness and a fast-rising temper.
Megan can only say a handful of words including mummy, daddy, yes and no. She cannot walk far and struggles with tiredness.
"We have good days and bad days," said Miss Fitzgerald.
(Image: Hull Daily Mail / MEN Media)
"A good day is a day where Megan doesn't ask for food at times when it is not food time - although I'm not sure we ever have one of those days.
"But I would be lying if I said that we didn't have bad days, or lots of bad times during most days.
"Some days I feel like everything I do for her is wrong, like when she wants food, and I can't give her it because it isn't time. Or when she's upset or frustrated and what I'm offering isn't what she wants.
"Sometimes I really think she doesn't like me, I'm the big bad wolf who won't allow her to eat what she wants, but as a parent I have to lump it.
"I'm doing what I do for her, it's tough love. I don't want her to become obese because there's a lot of associated health problems if she does.
"Life is a daily guessing game. On a good day I get it right and think to myself, 'yes, I got this, I am awesome', other days I think, 'today was not so good, I hope I can do better tomorrow.'"
(Image: Hull Daily Mail / MEN Media)
But with drugs trials and more research, the single mum hopes one day the challenges of PWS can be eliminated.
Alongside her best friend Emma Branch, the women have thrown themselves into raising money for the Foundation for Prader-Willi Research UK.
Together they have completed eight of ten challenges they have set themselves, including the Humber Half Marathon and the Hull 10k.
Miss Fitzgerald said: "The trials are going well, but the research needs funding. My friend Emma and I decided we would do a mammoth challenge and do ten races throughout the year ending with the Hull Marathon next month.
"A marathon is a scary task for us both, but we will put ourselves through the pain and torture for my little girl.
"Emma is just amazing to do this for us. Every time I see her I just want to hug her. I don't think I could ever thank her enough."
Visit Megan's fundraising page to follow Megan's journey or visit Tracy and Emma's Just Giving Page to sponsor them.