Brothers so allergic they can eat only nine foods (luckily including KFC and cakes!)
MOST children do all they can to avoid vegetables – but Christopher and Alexander Merrett have a better excuse than most.
The brothers are allergic to an extraordinary range of foods, including most greens.
The boys are restricted to just eight regular items ... but luckily for them these include cakes and biscuits, as long as they’re made from cornflour. The pair can also eat potatoes, sweet potatoes, bananas, gammon or ham and specially-prepared bread.
Improbably, fast food is also a staple, with the boys occasionally treated to chicken at Nando’s or KFC – although they usually feel queasy afterwards.
Their parents face constant accusations their sons are simply fussy eaters who should not be indulged. But tests have shown that Christopher, five, and 18-month-old Alexander are indeed at risk from a range of allergies.
Parents Michelle and Michael carry EpiPens in case the boys suffer potentially fatal anaphylactic shocks. They got through six last year.
‘You can almost see people’s eyebrows raising when we go into details about the allergies,’ said Mrs Merrett, 39.
‘When we got the diagnosis it was a relief that we weren’t just neurotic parents. Christopher and Alexander could die from a bad reaction to a simple food – that’s how serious it is. We are hoping that they will grow out of it as they get older but every day is a battle.’
The brothers have undergone a battery of tests to identify what they must steer clear of, and are cared for by experts at three hospitals, including London’s Great Ormond Street.
Their allergies include dairy products, egg, wheat, soya, tomatoes, lettuce, beans and carrots. They must also avoid sulphites, a preservative found in dried fruits and crisps, and sugar alcohols such as sorbitol that occur naturally in fruits including apples, pears, peaches, prunes and grapes, and are used as thickeners and sweeteners.
On top of that, they also react badly to dust, animals, birch trees and pollen.
The boys, from Colchester, Essex, have their own cupboards, freezer and utensils to avoid cross-contamination, and their meals are cooked in a separate oven at home.
Christmas lunch last week was a typically controlled affair. ‘We made our own stuffing and the boys ate a gammon joint,’ said Mrs Merrett. ‘I just have to make sure it doesn’t have hydrogenated vegetable oil.’
‘The best place to eat out, we’ve found, is Nando’s, believe it or not,’ Mrs Merrett added. ‘They give you a thick book detailing everything in their food and sauces. They disinfect an area of the kitchen, cook everything separately and the
‘Could die from a bad reaction’
kitchen staff and waitresses are brilliant.’ The family also say KFC caters perfectly to their sons’ unique needs.
Christopher’s dairy allergy is so severe that he once spent weeks in hospital after touching a supermarket trolley that had tiny traces of milk on it. Last year paramedics had to administer a shot of adrenaline after he tried a tiny piece of icing from his birthday cake.
He eats a special type of brown rice-based bread, which is free of gluten, wheat, soya, milk and egg. His father, 51, says it tastes like Madeira cake.
Alexander has another bread imported from Sweden, which is similar to his brother’s but is also free of rice.
They have two older siblings, James, 18, and Katie, 14, who suffer allergies to some medicines, but not food.
Mr Merrett, a former researcher at the University of Essex, and his wife, who worked as an investment manager at NatWest, now run a website about allergen-free food.
‘We have both given up full time jobs with good career progression to look after the boys,’ said Mrs Merrett. ‘ It is not something I would have chosen to have done but our children need all our attention.’
The couple, who are the boys’ registered carers, previously lived off their savings but these have now been spent.
They describe their website as a ‘hobby’ and say they are reliant on the disability allowance they receive for the children.