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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Beth Kilgallon & Zahna Eklund

'I lock my daughter out of our kitchen - her condition means she won't stop eating'

A mum whose five-year-old daughter never feels full has resorted to putting a baby gate across her kitchen door to keep her child from snacking when she's not supposed to.

Holly Williams, 25, said her daughter Harlow was diagnosed with Prader-Willi Syndrome when she was six months old, and the condition means she's missing chromosome 15, which regulates hunger, meaning her little one is always hungry.

The mum admitted that having the baby gate in the kitchen won't work as Harlow gets older, and she has plans to "get locks" for the cupboards in the future so that her daughter can't help herself to food, as she doesn't know when to stop eating.

Harlow currently weighs around 7st, more than double the average weight of a five-year-old girl, which is between 2st 3lbs and 3st 12lbs. But mum Holly is doing her best to be stern with her daughter, and always makes sure she is eating a healthy and balanced diet.

Holly explained: "One of Harlow's symptoms is constantly food seeking. When children with Prader Willi reach a certain age, they become fixated on eating. They are missing chromosome 15 which controls hunger levels, meaning that she is constantly hungry.

"She eats a full meal and will say she is hungry again straight away. It's really difficult because she constantly wants to eat and I have to make sure she doesn't. It's hard to manage and I have to try and explain to her that she's not really hungry.

"Having a baby gate on the kitchen door helps with making sure that Harlow isn't getting into cupboards in the kitchen, and helping herself to.

"In the future, I will have to take further measures and as Harlow gets older I will more than likely have to get locks for the kitchen.

"Harlow is overweight at the moment so I have to be stern with her and tell her she can't have any more to eat after she has had a meal. I make sure she has a healthy and balanced diet, but she is still allowed treats, as she is just a child after all, so I don't want to completely deprive her."

The mum said she was unaware Prader-Willi Syndrome existed before her daughter was diagnosed, but has since discovered that Katie Price's eldest son, Harvey, also has the same condition.

Holly has praised Katie for speaking openly about Harvey's diagnosis and said watching the star's videos with her son has helped her navigate her daughter's condition.

She added: "Until Harlow's diagnosis, I'd never heard of Prader-Willi Syndrome before. I was confused, but as long as I had my daughter, I didn't care what she had.

"I started googling the syndrome and I discovered that Katie Price's son, Harvey, has the same condition. So, I started watching her videos about it to educate myself.

"One of the main things I have learnt from Katie Price is patience and to remain calm. It's the most important thing, and you have to remember it's as hard for them as it is for us."

Prader-Willi Syndrome has also delayed several of Harlow's milestones growing up, as she couldn't hold her head up until she was eight months old, and didn't start walking until she was two and a half.

Holly said her daughter still has some mobility issues to this day and also has sleep apnoea, which means her breathing stops and starts while she sleeps.

"Despite all this, she just gets on with life and is a happy girl," the mum said, "she is at a mainstream school and is getting on really well."

Alongside her physical symptoms, Harlow also has some behavioural problems, and her mum said she can often act as if she's 15 rather than five.

Holly explained: "Harlow will sometimes throw a tantrum if she can't get her own way, for example if I tell her no when she wants more food. She will throw her iPad, kick her legs and scream and cry.

"I have to be stern with her otherwise she would rule my life. However, we have a really close mother-daughter bond as we are together all the time."

And having a celebrity like Katie Price to look up to has helped Holly navigate the world of online trolls too, as she said she's had to turn the comments off on her social media pages because of vile comments left by strangers.

She said: "I find it so inspiring watching Katie and Harvey, she is amazing with him. I relate to them so much.

"I look at Harvey, and he's such a lovely and funny boy, and it makes me think that is what Harlow will be like as she grows up. They have so much in common.

"Harlow also receives horrible comments from trolls online.

"I've now had to turn the comments off on my TikTok videos. People say that I should be ashamed of myself for feeding her too much when that isn't the case. She puts on so much weight due to her condition, and people don't seem to understand that."

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