The toddler who has never pestered for 甘いs because of a genetic 条件 that means he can't feel hunger

By James Tozer for the Daily Mail
Updated: 15:45 BST, 8 July 2009

Nothing would make two-year-old Joe Bell's mot her happier than to be pestered for 甘いs and chocolate.

But she may never experience this simple part of watching her child grow up because of a rare 医療の 条件 which means he's incapable of feeling hungry.

The challenge 直面するing most parents in 説得するing a 気が進まない young child to eat is a walk in the park compared to the mealtime ordeal of 示す and Vicky Bell, who 事実上 have to 軍隊-料金d him every day.

Mealtime 戦う／戦い: Vicky Bell uses a feeding tube as 支援する-up if she can't get her son Joe, two, to eat

With 支援する-up from a feeding tube 加える a lot of persistence, they have managed to 確実にする Joe is さもなければ healthy and keeps to a normal 負わせる for his age.

But にもかかわらず their 献身的な training, he has never so much asked them for a 甘い or a 薄焼きパン／素焼陶器.

Now they are 勧めるing doctors to be on the look-out for the 条件, which may いつかs be overlooked in new-born babies, 潜在的に with 致命的な consequences.

Joe 苦しむs from congenital hyperinsulinism, which means his 団体／死体 produces too much insulin, 効果的に the 逆転する to 糖尿病. This 原因（となる）s his 血 sugar level to 急落する, meaning he never feels hungry.

Born three weeks 早期に and 重さを計るing just over 10lb 3oz, Joe looked like a healthy baby, but he just wouldn't 料金d.

He was moved to the special care b aby 部隊 and put on to a feeding tube before 存在 transferred to Manchester Children's Hospital, one of only two centres in the country which can 扱う／治療する the 条件.

Joe's rare 条件 means he is incapable of having hunger pangs

'From the moment he was born he just wasn't 利益／興味d in feeding,' said his mother, a 33-year-old civil servant.

'He had a tube to 料金d him but he kept pulling it out, so the doctors said he should have the tube through his tummy so that we could get food into him.'

His 条件 was stabilised with 医薬, but his parents were told because he had been 餓死するd for so long, there was a 危険 of brain 損失.

結局 he was 許すd 支援する home to Aspatria, Cumbria, but had to be fed through a tube 挿入するd into his nose.

Joe's 血 sugar also has to be 実験（する）d eight times a day as he never shows any symptoms such as irritability or sweating when it is low.

With the 安心 供給するd by the feeding tube, Mrs Bell and her husband, a 36-year-old 倉庫・駅 経営者／支配人, 結局 mastered the daily struggle to 説得する him to eat mashed up food - not 平易な when he doesn't know the meaning of hunger.

It often ends in heartache and 涙／ほころびs because eating can makes Joe sick.

'He does take most of his food orally, but only because he's been trained to do it,' said his mother.

'It's twice as bad because of course he's two and can be ぎこちない when he wants to so he can throw a tantrum .

'But we can't just not let him eat - if he's 存在 ぎこちない, we can't send him to bed without any tea because of his 血 sugar.

'And we can't 賄賂 him like other children - it's not like you can entice him to eat by 申し込む／申し出ing him a chocolate, because he doesn't want it.

'You can't even try and keep him 静かな for five minutes by giving him a 捕らえる、獲得する of crisps or a 扱う／治療する.'

The たびたび（訪れる） 戦う／戦いs have been gruelling for the couple, who also have an older son, Jamie, 11, but Joe has at least learnt to put up with 存在 fed, and his parents hope it will be easier as he gets older and can understand his 条件.

Joe celebrating his second birthday. The toddler's parents have been 'training' him to eat

'He’s got a real fighting spirit,' said Mrs Bell. 'Not only does he 受託する what we have to do to him, he does it with the biggest smile on his 直面する. It makes us feel very humble.'

Joe has some 開発 problems, but appears to have come through the worst of his illness without any brain 損失. And it is possible he could 'grow out' of it in the 未来.

専門家s say 事例／患者s of congenital hyperinsulinism (CHI) are 増加するing, かもしれない as a result of better diagnosis, but Joe's parents want to raise 認識／意識性 その上の.

'In the past I think a lot of babies died and they put it 負かす／撃墜する to cot death when really it was CHI,' Mrs Bell said.

There are thought to be around 40 苦しんでいる人s in the North of England.

Lindsey Rigby, a specialist nurse at Manchester Children's Hospital who has helped Joe's parents を取り引きする the 条件, said CHI was 堅い for all 関心d to を取り引きする.

'It's certainly manageable at home but that may be after a long admission at hospital where the 医療の team have 設立する the best way to manage the child's 条件.

'That may be に引き続いて 外科 or it may be that the child has to have a number of 医薬s at home.

'But it's certainly a lot to ask for a parent to 配達する all the 医薬 we ask them to.'