A schoolboy who has a rare condition that makes him vomit every five minutes has begged his mum "why me?"
Josh Wright, 13, was diagnosed with severe Cyclical Vomiting Syndrome (CVS) which sees him hospitalised roughly every six weeks for fluids and medication during a flare-up.
The teen often pukes blood and cannot talk because of a build-up of saliva - leaving him unable to talk and forcing him to communicate with his family via a notes app.
The episodes often start in the middle of the night and continue until the morning as the cause of this syndrome is unknown.
Mum Julie, from Portobello near Edinburgh, told the Daily Record she is worried about her son's future.
She said: “It's such a rare condition so it was very difficult to get a diagnosis. When we finally did but were told there is no cure, it was devastating.
“He has tried so many different medicines to try and help, but nothing works. It feels never-ending.
"He often asks, 'Why me? Why do I have this and other kids don’t?' I can see it in his eyes and it just breaks my heart.
“During his episodes, he has excess saliva and often can’t talk for up to two days. It gets to the point where he is vomiting blood.
"When he was younger and couldn’t talk, we would use notes on his phone to communicate and he would type 'I’m sad'.
“At present, he only attends around 75% of school. We’ve spent years not telling him when he has things coming up like birthday parties, trips to the cinema or holidays because we don’t want him to be even more disappointed.
“The future is uncertain for Josh. We worry about what kind of job he will be able to get.
"As he has grown up in the hospital, he really wants to be a surgeon but will he be able to achieve his ambition when he only attends school for 75% of the year?
“There is hope that as he gets older, he may grow out of the condition as some children do. For now, we just take every day as it comes and tries to really make the most of the times when Josh is feeling well.”
Cyclical Vomiting Syndrome is rare, with only three in 100,000 children diagnosed each year.
Josh and his family are supported by the Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity and have shared their story to help raise awareness of their invaluable work.
Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity is currently running its ‘Never Alone’ fundraising appeal to help children like Josh living with rare and long-term conditions to have a positive hospital journey. You can help by donating here.
