YOUNG Leeton resident Ted Barton is facing a medical battle that will see him spend a lengthy amount of time in hospital in Sydney.
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On December 13, Teddy ate very little at preschool and was up all night vomiting. In the following days he had no appetite.
On December 17, his father Tom Barton managed to get him to eat three lollies and a snack bag of chips.
That was the last time he ate and that afternoon after being described by his mum Karri Barton as being "vacant and lethargic", he was taken to the emergency department at Griffith Base Hospital.
His blood sugar was 2.5 and he was dehydrated. He was admitted to pediatrics after receiving a glucose injected and placed on an IV.
On December 18, doctors took him off an IV in a bid to get Teddy to eat, but this treatment didn't work for the next two days.
By this point his parents were getting desperate.
They wanted to know why their little boy was refusing to eat.
He is now being fed via a tube and last week secured a bed in a hospital in Sydney while medical staff work to not only help him, but diagnose his condition. He has had immediate care already from numerous specialists as a result.
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It is likely Teddy's condition is an eating disorder as a result of anxiety.
Teddy has told his parents he is worried about germs getting on his teeth, crumbs getting stuck in his teeth and "having too much energy and going too fast".
These ideas are all very distressing to him, according to his uncle, Alan Barton.
"It's been really tough for everyone having to watch him deteriorate so quickly," he said.
"(In Griffith) he needed a parent with him at the hospital at all times, so his mum and dad have been rotating 'shifts' between there and back in Leeton with their young daughter Maggie.
As you can imagine it's already been really tough on them financially. With the ongoing expenses in Sydney, Teddy is likely to be there for many months, it's going to be tough."
The Barton family have already banded together to ensure the rent is covered at the couple's home in Leeton, but are hopeful the community can support a Go Fund Me page that has been set up to assist with Teddy's medical expenses.
At this stage, the family are being told Teddy may have what is known as PANDAS, which is type of anorexia nervosa in children that is triggered by infection.
If you can donate any amount, visit https://au.gofundme.com/f/help-us-support-teddy-while-hes-in-hospital.
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