Since birth, Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH) patient Connor Anderson has suffered severe bouts of vomiting and diarrhoea every two months. His illness comes as a symptom of Hirschsprung’s disease, a condition that affects only 1 in every 25,000 children.

Connor’s mother Libby Middleton has grown all too familiar with the cyclical bouts of violent illness, that take hold of her son as soon as he stops eating. It is not uncommon for Connor to be admitted to the RCH, when his sickness has left him severely weak and dehydrated.

Connor is missing nerves in his bowel that compromise its ability to contract and relax. When he was two years old, Connor underwent the common repair for Hirschsprung’s know as a “pull-through”, where the missing nerve cells of the large intestine were removed, and the healthy parts connected to his bottom. Yet, with the intestines playing such an integral role in the body’s immune responses, Connor has continued to suffer from gasto-like illnesses.

With the cycles of Connor’s sickness speeding up, there is a pressing need to correct the illness before his ability to fight infection is compromised. Colorectal surgeon Sebastian King expects Connor to outgrow the recurring infections once he is able to control his bowels.

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