Morning:
18°c
Johnny Depp has become, in his young middle age, like a star of the movies’ golden period
The full story of the rescue operation was told as it emerged that plastic windows fitted at the block two years ago melted in the intense heat, effectively acting as fuel for the blaze
More...
The girl aged 12 who weighs only 2.5 stone despite eating six meals a day
Last updated at 17:22pm on 08.02.08
Baffling: Ellie Wiseman is just 2.5 stone
Yet despite eating six meals a day, she weighs just two and a half stone and is too weak to walk more than 100 yards.
Her parents say she suffers from an unexplained condition which means that she is unable to put on any weight.
Despite 130 hospital appointments with paediatricians, orthopaedic consultants, cardiologists, neurologists, dieticians and all manner of other specialists, her family are still no nearer discovering what has afflicted their daughter.
At 4ft tall, she has severe muscle wasting and suffers from painful deformities in her feet. However Ellie, described by her parents as a "tough cookie", still manages to attend high school and is popular with her friends and classmates.
Her 37-year-old mother, Kirsty Wiseman, a portrait photographer, said: "Ellie has always been underweight. She is a really good eater and has six small meals a day, yet she looks emaciated.
"She has had 130 hospital appointments for investigations, but still nobody can tell us what's wrong with her.
"We have also been private. She is under constant investigation, but we still have no answers. I am disappointed – doctors have told us they have exhausted all avenues and we just have to accept the way she is, but I don't agree.
"Whilst she is a happy girl, she does require the use of a stroller and electric wheelchair to get out and about, so she is not yet totally independent.
"Our dream is for Ellie to walk without strollers or chairs, and have confidence that she can manage on her own should she wish to leave home. It is unbearable seeing your child, who you adore, like this and there being nothing you can do."
Scroll down for more...
Pain: Ellie, with her parents Kirsty and Mark, struggles to walk more than 100 yards
As a newborn baby Ellie, of Ashton-in-Makerfield, near Wigan, appeared to be developing normally. She weighed just over 7lb at birth and it was only when she was around three months old that doctors noticed she was severely underweight.
She was admitted to hospital, where she spent six months being fed through a tube in her nose. But despite medical intervention, the problem persisted and Ellie has always been severely underweight.
The youngster enjoys meals of meat balls with pasta and likes fruit, crisps, yoghurt, fish fingers and chocolate.
She eats at least six times a day and has a full evening meal followed by supper before she goes to bed.
Now, in a final bid to get some answers about their daughter's illness, Mrs Wiseman and her husband Mark, a 41-year-old former Army sergeant major, have raised money to take her to see specialists in the USA.
They are also investigating whether Ellie has a some chromosomal abnormality brought on by chemicals.
Mrs Wiseman said: "I have strong suspicions about the cause of her condition. My husband spent 22 years in the Army and was in the Gulf War.
"He was subjected to a lot of injections prior to going out there and worked with depleted uranium warheads. But we just don't know.
"No one's ever established what she has."
Although her life is not in danger, Ellie's parents must monitor her weight closely to ensure she does not lose any more.
