Finlay Doolan, six, has never tasted ice cream, birthday cake, or had the treat of a bag of sweeties – because he is allergic to ALL food.
Finlay has the rare condition eosinophilic esophagitis and eosinophilic colitis, which is believed to affect as few as one in 10,000 people.
While some sufferers are able to eat without a flare up, Finlay has been unable to find anything that does not make him sick.
Until he was diagnosed three years ago, doctors had put his condition down to babyhood colic.
Speaking to the Manchester Evening News, his mum Vicky, 41, explained that Finlay relies on a drip for his nutrients, and has been ill every time they have experimented with any food.
She and her husband Jason, 42, are now trying to raise awareness for the condition, and are keen to find other families near to them who are affected.
"I've found online help groups but everyone seems to be from down south," she said. "I would really love to find families nearby who we can talk to about it."
Vicky says that primary-school pupil Finlay 'lives as normal a life as possible' but is desperate to be able to eat like other children.
"When he's with other kids who are eating he feels like it's being rubbed in his face," she said. "He needs to be fed through his drip every three hours."
When she has tried to introduce a food to Finlay, he has ended up ill.
"When we tried chicken he was sick for a week," she said.
Although Finlay takes part in as many activities as he can with his condition, and joins in as much as he is able at school, some things are out of bounds - he can't play football in case his drip comes out, and the joint pain which is a side effect of his illness means he often can't sit cross-legged on the floor with the rest of his classmates.
Vicky said she bought a book for his school teachers to read to the other children to help them understand what is wrong with Finlay, because she feels people often do not realise just how ill he is.
"Often when I try to explain people don't understand the severity of the condition or what it means for Finlay," she said.
The family are hosting a fund-raising event in Manchester for FABED - Families Affected with Eosinophilic Disorders, in Wythenshaw, Manchester, in July.