A mom hits back at trolls who brand her a bad parent for letting her daughter ascend to nearly 200 pounds.
Sherafien McDaniel, 29, of Atlanta, Georgia, is the mother of Angel, an 11-year-old girl who suffers from Prader-Willi syndrome, a rare genetic condition that causes her constant insatiable hunger.
Angel’s ravenous appetite causes her to get up in the middle of the night to sneak food into her room, often eating until she is physically ill. Her best time for “food sneaking,” as her mom calls it, is around 3am.
Weighing in at 275 pounds and just under six feet tall, Angel has a body mass index (BMI) of over 50, and as she grows, so does her appetite.
In the past 12 months alone, Ms. McDaniel told DailyMail.com that her daughter has gained 30kg. Without radical intervention, she could eat herself to death.
Angel and her mom smile for a mother-daughter selfie
Pictured in 2021, Angel shows off her softball uniform
Angel eats three meals a day with numerous snacks, with ramen being her favorite dish. Ms. McDaniel says she eats pretty much anything, but doesn’t like spicy food.
Ms McDaniel has created a TikTok to raise awareness about Prader-Willi syndrome and urges people to ‘research’ before attacking her.
She told DailyMail.com, “Nobody else can take better care of Angel than I can. I am her mother. I was put on earth to take care of my child. She’s my child’.
Prader-Willi syndrome occurs when genes on chromosome 15, inherited from the father, are missing and not passed on to the child.
The defect of chromosome 15 disrupts the normal functions of a part of the brain that releases hormones to control things like growth, sleep, mood and hunger.
Only 3,400 people have the condition in the US.
Patients usually don’t live until their 30s, as the excess fat puts them at greater risk for a host of health problems such as heart disease and diabetes. But some have been known to live into their sixties.
There are already warning signs for Angel. In June, Angel developed a large rash on her body and was excessively thirsty.
Her mother took her to the hospital, where doctors diagnosed her with type 2 diabetes, which means she needs to take insulin before every meal and before bed.
Pictured above, Angel McDaniel, aged three at Easter in 2015
Four-year-old Angel on her first day of school in 2016
While there is no cure for Prader-Willi syndrome, there are some ways to manage it, such as taking appetite suppressants — which her mother says didn’t work in Angel’s case.
Ms McDaniel has been researching hormone therapy, which is known to help manage the condition, but was told Angel’s sleep apnea, a serious and sometimes fatal sleep disorder caused by excess fat, would interfere as it can lead to heart problems.
In addition to sleep apnea, Angel has hypothyroidism, a condition that causes the thyroid gland to not release enough thyroid hormone.
It has caused her metabolism to slow down dramatically, putting her at even greater risk of weight gain.
In addition to her need to eat constantly, she also struggles with developmental issues, which makes it difficult for her to communicate verbally.
She also needs help bathing and going to the toilet.
Angel traveling to New York City with her mother in 2023
Angel traveling to New York City with her mother in 2023