London Boy Suffers from Pica

Zach Tahir, from London, is autistic and also suffers from a disease called pica. Pica is a condition in which there is a pattern of eating non-food materials.

Zach has eaten plaster, blinds, stone, moss and paper. His mother, Rachel Horn, woke up one day to find he had eaten his bedroom wall!

She had an idea for his sixth birthday: She was going to buy him an "inedible" bedroom wall.

She has raised $10,000 through fundraising via Twitter, and the government has given her $26,000 due to her son's condition.

According to NIH, people who suffer from pica can eat things like dirt, clay, hairballs, animal feces, and anything that shouldn't be eaten.

Zach is having a very hard time eating things that are actually healthy for him.

Zach's mother said by doing this room change, it will make her more comfortable leaving him alone in his room. His room will include chew-proof walls made from the same material as squash courts, a non-slip floor that can’t be picked at and new blinds safely confined between window panes. The room will also have a camera installed so his mother can keep an eye on him.

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