There’s a famous scene in the classic 70s horror film The Exorcist where a possessed Linda Blair, while being exorcised, projectile vomits onto Jason Miller’s character Father Karras.
You might think this an impossibility outside the realms of fictional storytelling, but you couldn’t be farther from the truth.
In Torquay, five-year-old Zackery Collins has a rare medical condition causing him to throw up every time he gets excited, which her mother Hannah Collins likened to that scene in The Exorcist.
Photo credit: Carters News Agency
His condition has baffled doctors since his birth.
“Despite being diagnosed with acid reflux and prescribed Gaviscon, the 5-year-old continued to be left miserable by recurrent spewing,” said a report by The Daily Mail.
Eventually Zackery was diagnosed with Cyclical Vomiting Syndrome (CVS).
Since the discovery that excitement triggers it, Hannah has been limiting her son’s activities which may bring on an episode.
“When he’s sick it’s not normal—it’s projectile and rapid-fire, like something out of the Exorcist,” she said.
“Any special occasion—holidays, Christmas, birthdays—Zackery is sick without fail.
“If we try and take a nice picture when we’re on days out or doing something nice, I know he’ll be throwing up within five minutes of it being taken.”
Photo credit: Carters News Agency
An episode of CVS makes him sick up to ten times in quick succession, and leaves him pale and lethargic and in pain.
“There are not many people who are aware of CVS, or know how to deal with it,” said Hannah. “It literally started from day one with the sickness.
“He was hospitalized when he was barely a day old—to start with he was diagnosed with gastroesophageal reflux disease. Now I know that’s quite a common thing in kids with CVS.
“When he finally got diagnosed it was a relief – it’s scary, but now we can start looking for a cure.”
What is Cyclical Vomitting Syndrome?
It is a rare disorder most commonly seen in children, but it can affect adults, too.
Those afflicted with CVS frequently feels very sick and will vomit for hours on end, sometimes even for days.
Although they usually recover from the episode and feel perfectly well after, they will still experience it a month or so later. These attacks are not explained by an infection or other illness.
READ: A rare illness is causing this boy’s skin to turn into stone
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