Yasmin Whittington remembers the moment she realised something was wrong with her daughter.
14‑month‑old Elyza lives with an unknown condition that causes persistent sickness, poor feeding, low muscle tone and chronic fatigue.
She was just two months old when the first signs began to appear.
“She couldn’t lift her head, she was constantly sick, and she wasn’t keeping any feeds down,” Yasmin, from Brechin, said. “Doctors initially said it was severe reflux and prescribed medication, but nothing helped.”
Instead, Elyza’s condition worsened.
“She then became very floppy. She barely moved her arms or legs at all,” Yasmin said.
Doctors initially believed Elyza’s illness was floppy infant syndrome, but suspected there must be an underlying cause. A physiotherapist assessed her and shared the family’s concerns.
“While there was some movement, it wasn’t what you’d expect for her age,” Yasmin said. “She slept up to 21 hours a day, like a newborn.”
STV NewsDespite being given exercises to carry out at home, Elyza continued to lose weight and become more unwell.
“We were back and forth to doctors constantly,” Yasmin said. “Every day felt like panic – not knowing what was coming next or whether feeds would stay down. We fed her little and often, every hour or two, but everything came straight back up.”
Doctors repeatedly diagnosed Elyza with chest infections and prescribed antibiotics, which often made her condition worse.
“She was given antibiotics that didn’t work and made her even sicker,” Yasmin said. “Her lungs would briefly clear, then the same symptoms would return.”
It later emerged these symptoms were not caused by infection at all, but by milk entering her lungs when she tried to feed.
Her breathing problems became increasingly concerning.
“Eliza has a dip in her chest that pulls down when she breathes, and I noticed her breathing getting heavier as she grew,” Yasmin said.
When she raised these concerns again, Elyza was placed on oxygen and rushed by ambulance to Ninewells Hospital, where she spent time in resuscitation.
STV News“Up until then, we hadn’t felt listened to,” Yasmin said. “But in surgery and resus, staff finally said they’d take our concerns properly on board.”
Although reflux continued to be mentioned, Yasmin said she knew it did not explain Elyza’s symptoms.
“I already have another child who had reflux – I knew this was different,” she said. “It felt like hitting a wall.”
A breakthrough came when speech and language therapists became involved.
“It was a light‑bulb moment,” Yasmin said. “They immediately saw what I was seeing: a very unwell baby.”
They identified that Elyza was aspirating milk into her lungs when she tried to feed.
“Her lips were turning blue,” Yasmin said. “The ‘chest infections’ weren’t infections at all.”
The therapist contacted Ninewells Hospital and advised the family to return immediately.
Elyza was admitted to hospital and underwent extensive testing, including MRI scans, X‑rays, blood tests and swallow studies. Specialists from neurology, gastroenterology, genetics, dietetics, physiotherapy, occupational therapy and speech and language therapy were all involved.
Feeding was deemed unsafe, and Elyza is now tube‑fed.
STV NewsWhile small amounts of reflux were identified during tests, doctors confirmed it was not the cause of her condition.
More than 2,000 genetic disorders have since been ruled out, but the family say progress remains “at a standstill”.
Elyza has spent more than three months of her life in the hospital and continues to struggle with severe gastrointestinal problems.
She has tried four different formula milks and numerous medications, none of which have worked. Doctors are now considering a feeding tube directly to her stomach.
“Development‑wise, she’s closer to a five or six‑month‑old,” Yasmin said.
Medical teams are now investigating possible mitochondrial or muscle‑related causes, although Yasmin has been told further answers may not come until Elyza is older.
Yasmin lives in Brechin, Angus, with her husband Charles, 31, and their three other children – Isaac, seven, Alfie, five, and Isla, two. One of her sons is autistic.
Yasmin has had to give up her job in hospitality to care for Elyza full‑time.
“I’ve gone from being a mum to being a nurse almost overnight,” she said. “I live and breathe everything about her care now.”
She says the uncertainty has taken an emotional toll on the whole family.
“The hardest part is the unknown,” she said. “We don’t know if Eliza will walk. We don’t know what the future looks like.
“Because her condition is so rare, we don’t even know if everything is connected.”
STV NewsDespite everything, Elyza remains cheerful.
“She’s the happiest, most content little baby,” Yasmin said. “She laughs and smiles, and people don’t see the battles behind closed doors, the late nights and the fear when she’s really unwell.
“I wouldn’t change her for the world.”
The family have received support from The Archie Foundation, which Yasmin said had been a lifeline during repeated hospital stays in Edinburgh, helping with food, fuel and accommodation.
The charity also funded a specialist car seat, recommended by clinicians, to support Elyza’s low muscle tone.
“They helped with food, fuel and accommodation and funded a specialist car seat – something we couldn’t have managed ourselves,” Yasmin said. “They lifted a huge financial burden during a really tough time.”
Yasmin is now taking part in Glasgow’s Kiltwalk to raise money for The Archie Foundation, alongside friends Zoe McCormack, 30, and Rohana Dewfall, 29, with plans to take part in the Dundee Kiltwalk later this year.
“I’m not a great runner, so the Kiltwalk felt like something I could manage with everything going on,” she said.
“Getting out walking is really good for your mental health, and it’s a small way to say thank you.”
She added: “Whatever happens, we’re just learning what our new normal looks like and doing everything we can to give Elyza the best life possible.”
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