A British teenager who is allergic to all food has a condition so rare that no one else in the world has it.

Finley Ranson has an extreme allergy to all food which means his body reacts to it as if it was a virus causing him to bleed internally.

The 14-year-old schoolboy's digestive system cannot tolerate lipids - fatty compounds or oils which are found in foods - so he has them infused directly into his heart.

The process, which he has undergone every week since he was four, takes six hours and has now increased to twice a week for the past five years.

His condition is so rare that it doesn't even have a name.

Finley, from Battlesbridge, Essex, stumped medical professionals who believe he may be one of the only people whose body reacts to lipids in this way.

Finley, who has dubbed his condition as 'Finley-itis', said: "It is impacting my life as I've not been able to eat any food or drink anything other than water. "

"I have to have lipids into my heart every week and it's pretty much all I know as I've had it for my whole life. "

"The hospital have been really good and helped me - they've given me a life to live. I can't thank them enough."

Finley's mum Rhys, 38, said she knew something wasn't quite right from his birth as he was a 'very unhappy' baby.

Originally doctors believed he could be allergic to breast milk but after being fed hypoallergenic milk through an NG tube, he still failed to thrive.

Rhys, a SEND learning assistant, said: "Finley didn't sleep, he screamed nonstop and had to be held. "

"His stools were all blood and mucus and he wouldn't put on weight."

"When he was four, he became really poorly and we went into Great Ormond Street Hospital for a long stay."

"He was put on a full TPN (Total Parenteral Nutrition) where a central line fed nutrients and minerals into his heart."

"It was a gamechanger. He was happy, bouncing and starting to put on weight."

"Doctors began to introduce separate ingredients from the tube into his tummy and as soon as they put the lipid in, we took ten steps back."

Finley receives a lipid infusion via a tube, which enters his chest and goes to the central vein in his heart at Broomfield Hospital in Essex.

He receives carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins and minerals three times a day into his stomach by a different tube.

Rhys is being trained to do Finley's lipid infusions at home which she hopes will open up new opportunities for the teen and his sister Georgia, 16.

She said: "With him being the only person, the unknown is scary."

"It is limited as to what we can do. He's had a lot of time out of school due to the infusions and being poorly so he's lost a lot of the academic side."

"By dipping in and out, he's also not had as many of the social aspects."

"Covid hit him hard and he's very reserved. Before, he'd be walking around the hospital but since lockdown and shielding, it has had a psychological effect."

"He doesn't like people seeing his infusions now - but to look at him you wouldn't think there's anything wrong."

Finley abseiled down a 154ft tower block at Southend Hospital on Saturday (May 17) for charity and to give back to the children's ward who helps him.

The family have so far raised £30k for Mid and South Essex Hospitals Charity and a further £10k for Great Ormond Street.

Mum Rhys said: "He was so proud to have done it, especially because he was in a lot of pain with his joints on the way down." "

Dr. Manas Datta, a consultant paediatrician at Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust who has been treating Finley since his birth, said: "Finley's condition is unique."

"We have never encountered a case like this before. "

"Through our ongoing treatments, we have developed methods to ensure he receives the necessary nutrition, including completely bypassing the gastrointestinal tract for fats. "

"This adaptation is essential because he cannot absorb fats, carbohydrates, or proteins in a normal way. "

"Finley has shown remarkable courage throughout his treatment, and we are committed to ensuring that he can thrive and live life to the fullest."

You can find Finley's fundraiser here: https://www.justgiving.com/page/rhys-ranson-5