Caden Benjamin from South Africa suffered from a rare genetic disease called Prader-Willi Syndrome which meant he never felt full and could not stop eating. The youngster, whose condition worsened as he grew older passed away at the Steve Biko Hospital in the city of Pretoria on November 15. His mother Zola Benjamin described the extreme lengths he would go in order to satisfy his hunger.
Ms Benjamin said: “At one point, Caden was eating toilet paper. He’d eat rolls of it.
“Actually, he’d eat any paper he would find in the house. If there’s nothing for him to eat, he’ll scrape together the dirt he finds on the floor and eat that.”
For years medical experts were unable to diagnose what his condition was – which affects one in 15,000 children.
Ms Benjamin said last year: “At three years old he was 40 kg (6st 4lbs) and at that time, we didn’t know what was wrong with him.
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“We went to a number of doctors and no one could tell us what was wrong and why he was gaining so much weight.”
His weight continued to spiral out of control, by the age of 10 Caden weighed 31 stone and suffered respiratory problems, an enlarged heart and diabetes.
He was forced to undergo a tracheotomy and breathed through a tube inserted into his windpipe.
Family friend Gila Sacks started a crowdfunding campaign to help raise money for Caden said his mother “was devastated” at “losing her only child”.
As his condition intensified Ms Benjamin was forced to lock all her kitchen cabinets and her fridge in order to hide all the food in the house.
Ms Benjamin said: “Normally he would start off the day by eating four slices of cheese toast and then an hour later he would drink Coke and eat leftover food from the night before.
“Then at lunch he’d eat two large pieces of chicken. He’d eat hourly for the rest of the day.”
Prader-Willi syndrome is caused by a fault in a group of genes on chromosome number 15.
The symptoms range include being permanently hungry, restricted growth, learning difficulties and behavioural problems.
There is no cure for Prader-Willi syndrome therefore treatment is focused on managing the symptoms and associated problems.