NEED TO KNOW
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14-month-old Elyza has an undiagnosed condition leading to significant muscle weakness and developmental delays.
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Her mother, Yasmin Whittington, has had to quit her job to care for Elyza, who is fed through a tube and struggles to gain weight.
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Initially, doctors suspected “floppy infant syndrome,” but they are now looking for a deeper underlying cause.
A family has opened up about their daughter’s strange illness, which makes her limbs feel floppy.
Yasmin Whittington, 30, from Brechin, Scotland, left her job so she could care for Elyza, who showed signs of this unknown condition when she was just two months old.
The condition has led to consistent sickness, difficulty with feeding, low muscle tone, and chronic fatigue for the toddler.
Elyza has spent several months in hospitals, undergoing many tests—genetic, MRI, ultrasounds, and blood tests—as they await a formal diagnosis almost a year later.
Yasmin said, “It all started when Elyza was about two months old. She started getting sick, wasn’t feeding properly, and felt really floppy. I just sensed something was off.”
She described how Elyza had almost no muscle tone and could sleep around 21 hours a day. “She just wasn’t developing as expected.”
Initially, doctors thought it was “floppy infant syndrome,” but now they believe something else might be at play.
Floppy infant syndrome is diagnosed in babies with low muscle tone, resulting in a limp appearance, reflecting symptoms that include the inability to lift their heads or control neck muscles and trouble swallowing or sucking.
Yasmin noted that Elyza has just begun to sit up and requires tube feeding due to struggles with weight gain. Additionally, she has severe gastrointestinal issues and may need a direct feeding tube in the future.
In terms of development, Yasmin feels her daughter is more at the level of a five or six-month-old baby.
“Elyza has been hospitalized for more than three months in her young life, and doctors are still trying to understand her condition,” she shared. “It’s been incredibly challenging for all of us.”
Whittington, who lives with her husband Charles and their three other children, mentioned the rapid shift from being a mom to a caregiver. “Doctors are working on figuring out the best approach forward,” she added.
Yasmin is also participating in Glasgow’s Kiltwalk challenge to raise funds for The Archie Foundation, which supports local sick children by providing resources not covered by the NHS.
The Archie Foundation has assisted the family by providing essential equipment like a specialized car seat to support Elyza’s needs. They received this equipment in just two weeks, which was a significant relief.
The charity has also offered financial help for travel, childcare, and hospital costs, lifting some burdens off the family during this tough time.
Despite the ongoing uncertainty regarding Elyza’s condition, Whittington expresses a commitment to ensuring her daughter thrives. “Whatever happens, we’re learning to navigate our new normal and doing everything we can to give her the best life possible,” she said.
