Campaign launched to help kids with food phobias
The family of a Melbourne girl who has never eaten solid food has launched a campaign to help other children like her.
At the age of seven, Emma Coles has never eaten a solid piece of food.
Born at just 27 weeks, Emma had to be tube-fed for months and later developed a severe phobia to food.
Even to get Emma to eat a teaspoon of yoghurt has taken years.
When 7News met Emma 18 months ago, she survived on what she called ‘muscle milk’ – a nutrient-rich formula.
Emma’s family has been forced to travel overseas for treatment but they say it is time Australia offered similar services here.
Emma’s mother Roz says a feeding clinic in the US helped Emma overcome some of her fears but they weren’t able to stay for longer.
“If we could have, we would have come home eating, be we just ran out of money,” Mrs Coles said.
Emma continues to see a local psychologist and a speech therapist, but Mrs Coles wants to set up a specialist clinic that offers affordable treatment.
“At the moment there are very limited services and they are normally private so it is very, very expensive,” Mrs Coles said.
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