Baby’s rare condition only allows him to eat peaches

At six months old, Micah Gabriel Masson Lopez was diagnosed with food-protein induced enterocolitis syndrome (FPIES), a food allergy causing excessive vomiting, diarrhea, rashes, dehydration, and hypovolemic shock - a life-threatening condition resulting from the loss of 20 percent of one’s body fluid or blood.

“The first solid food we trialed was banana. He proceeded to vomit four hours later, six times in a row and pass out, pale and almost blue,” Micah’s mother, Caroline Masson, told Global News. “The first time I saw him go into shock from a reaction, I didn’t even know how to help him.”

Now, at 23 months old, Micah’s only safe food is peach, a difficult-to-find fruit during the off-season in his home city of Montreal, Canada. And Micah can’t even have frozen, canned, or dried peaches because they often contain additives.

“We are buying peaches in bulk and are running out of funds to do so, as we also have to pay for his complex medical needs,” Masson told Global News. She’s been so busy caring for Micah and his two older brothers that she hasn’t been able to return to work. The family is even preparing to give up its children’s holiday funds to cover the cost of Micah’s medical needs. He’s extremely underweight and on the verge of being hospitalized with a feeding tube.

“Life revolves around making sure he is the happiest little boy he can be - and for that, we need to be able to provide him peaches every day,” she continued. Doctors are currently testing the baby for sensitivities to rabbit broth at one half teaspoon per day. While the amount seems miniscule, Masson claims that the experiment is “going well.”

Masson has set up a GoFundMe campaign to crowdsource $1,500 to buy peaches and pay for ambulance rides, doctor visits, travel, testing, and possible hospitalization. So far, $8,825 has been raised. For more generosity and people doing well by others, check out the most inspiring food stories of 2017.