After Mom Gave Birth To Identical Twins, She Witnessed A Troubling Scene In The Kitchen

#1

Stevie and Eddie live in New Haven, Connecticut, with their mom Dianna Schatzlein-Ahern. Since they were young, the 12-year-old twins have been obsessed with eating. In fact, their relationship with food became so unhealthy that it started to have a negative effect on their entire family.

#2

Doctors kept Stevie and Eddie in the hospital for eight weeks after they were born. Initially, however, it seemed that all the twins were suffering from was low muscle tone. So, they were treated with several therapies until they were three months old.

#3

However, doctors sent them home when tests suggested that there were no more serious issues. After that, things seemed to be going relatively smoothly. That is, until Stevie and Eddie began school. That’s when their problems with food got really serious.

#4

The situation got so bad that the twins’ older brother, Ryan, and sister, Jamie, had to take a back seat in the family. That’s because managing Stevie and Eddie’s cravings was a full-time job for Dianna. In fact, it began to take over her life.

#5

Explaining the extent of the twins’ problem, Dianna told Barcroft TV, “Their appetite is overwhelming. They are just never full. They will inhale their food or they’ll choke on it. So, I lock up my food pantry and I lock up the refrigerator.”

#6

However, even these extreme measures were sometimes not enough to stop Stevie and Eddie from gorging themselves almost to death. “They’ll eat out of the garbage,” Dianna admitted to MailOnline in 2016. “We always have to take the garbage and put it outside.”

#7

What’s more, the desperate mom even locked up pet food and household cleaning fluids, which the twins had attempted to consume before. Stevie and Eddie were so desperate to get their hands on food, in fact, that they would also search for it in their sleep. And, to make the situation even more frustrating, the boys didn’t even seem aware of their issues.

#8

Things came to a head when the twins were 10 years old. Dianna’s marriage to their father broke down. Later, the mom would admit that the twins’ eating problem was a contributory factor in the divorce. And while Dianna moved back to her hometown of New Haven, the father and their other children stayed where the family had previously been living in Orange, C.T.

#9

“My son and daughter are so good with their siblings, but it’s tough on them,” Dianna told Zip06 in 2015. “My daughter Jamie does a program with special needs students at her middle school and my son works at an after-school program. I tried to raise them to love everybody and give a little attention to everyone.”

#10

Weighing 13 stone at just 12 years of age signalled serious problems for the twins. This meant, by definition, that they were morbidly obese. On top of that, they were also suffering from a number of health issues including fatty liver disease.

#11

Moreover, the teens were becoming prone to angry outbursts. Dianna did her best to restrict their daily food consumption to help them with their weight. But this, unfortunately, caused tension within the household.

#12

“It’s difficult for the boys because I’m very strict with their food intake, and I only allow them 1200 calories a day,” Dianna told MailOnline. “That can lead to aggression because they don’t understand why I have to do it,” she explained.

#13

“Stevie can be very violent, he will just pop and start knocking things over,” Dianna added. “He goes after Eddie all the time. I just say, ‘Eddie, go in mommy’s room and wait.’ But it can take hours for him to come out of it.”

#14

Finally, Dianna that decided enough was enough. Her mother’s instinct told her something was wrong. However, she couldn’t get a diagnosis. So, she sought the advice of a specialist in Long Island, New York.

#15

It was then that Dianna finally got some answers. Indeed, the specialist discovered that Stevie and Eddie were on the autism spectrum. Moreover, they were suffering from a rare disorder called Prader-Willi Syndrome.

#16

Prader-Willi Syndrome affects one in every 15,000 people. It is a genetic disorder that causes an insatiable appetite and educational disability. As a result, it can also lead to extreme childhood obesity.

#17

At the moment, experts haven’t found a cure for Prader-Willi Syndrome. Fortunately, though, they can treat symptoms as and when they occur. Consequently, besides having had to go through a number of surgeries, Stevie and Eddie receive hormone treatments every few days.

#18

So, now that Stevie and Eddie finally had a diagnosis, Dianna made it her mission to raise awareness of Prader-Willi Syndrome. “People just see a big, heavy kid who is not like the rest of them,” she told Zip06. “They’re very sick twin boys, but I just want them to have a good life like everybody else.”

#19

And even though dealing with the boys’ disorder can be challenging, to Dianna they are still a family. “They’re such good kids, they’re very loving to me and I love them so much,” Dianna gushed to the MailOnline. “They call me the queen – I’m queen mom… I’ll keep fighting for them as long as I can.”