Finley Ranson, a 14-year-old from England, is living with a rare and perplexing condition that prevents him from consuming any food. His body reacts to all food as if it were a viral infection, causing internal bleeding. Doctors are unable to find anyone else with the same condition, and his treatment involves direct lipid infusions into his heart to sustain him.
Ranson’s condition is so rare that it doesn’t even have a name, although he has dubbed it ‘Finley-itis.’ Medical professionals are baffled, as they believe he may be one of the only people whose body reacts to lipids in this way. Doctors have tried introducing separate ingredients from the tube into the boy’s stomach, but ‘as soon as they put the lipid in, we took 10 steps back,’ his mother, Rhys Ranson, told SWNS.
Finley began undergoing the six-hour infusion process every week when he was 4 years old. For the past five years, the procedure has been twice a week. Dr. Manas Datta, a pediatrician who has treated Finley since birth, said, ‘We have to bypass the gastrointestinal tract completely.’ His condition has baffled medical professionals, who believe he may be one of the only people whose body reacts to lipids in this way. Doctors originally believed Ranson might be allergic to breast milk, but after being fed hypoallergenic milk through a tube, he still failed to thrive, his mother reported.
‘His stools were all blood and mucus, and he wouldn’t put on weight’ when he was a baby, Rhys Ranson told SWNS. She is now being trained to perform the lipid infusions at home, which she hopes will improve her son’s quality of life. ‘We’re unsure what the future looks like,’ she said. ‘We hope there’s a day that comes [when] he can have a normal diet… but if not, as long as Finley’s happy and healthy and thriving the way he is, we’re happy to continue what life is like for us at the moment.’