The little girl who can't eat or drink: Rare condition means toddler has to be fed through her HEART - because her intestines are outside her body

  • Mayana Wyles-Dudman was born with a rare birth defect called gastroschisis
  • It's a condition that causes her intestines to develop outside her body
  • The Queensland girl requires constant care and relies on a feeding tube 
  • Her body needs to be kept dry at all times so there is no risk of any infection
  • Her grandmother Eileen Dudman is caring for her full-time as a single mother

By Cindy Tran for Daily Mail Australia

Published: 21:08 EST, 13 December 2016 | Updated: 23:07 EST, 13 December 2016

She may look like any other playful two-year-old girl but Mayana Wyles-Dudman cannot go swimming, taste food or drink water.

The toddler was born with her intestines on the outside of her body - a rare birth defect called gastroschisis after her abdomen failed to form properly in the womb.

The Queensland girl was diagnosed with 'short gut syndrome' - meaning she only has 30 centimetres of intestines - below the average 250 centimetres a regular child her age would be born with.

She requires constant care and relies on a feeding line into her heart so she can only eat liquid nutrients through a tube to keep her healthy.

Her body needs to be kept dry in a silo bag at all time so there is no risk of any infection - a task that her grandmother Eileen Dudman tackles alone as a single mother-of-two.

Mayana Wyles-Dudman (pictured) was born with her intestines on the outside of her body

Her loving grandmother Eileen Dudman (right) has been looking after the girl since birth

The two-year-old - who requires constant care - gets medical treatment up to four times a day

The 45-year-old full-time carer said her daily routine involves treating her granddaughter with medication up to four times a day, changing her clothes and emptying a bag that holds her waste.

'We treat her like she's a normal child,' Ms Dudman told Daily Mail Australia.

'She loves playing with other children, enjoys going shopping and plays around with her family around the yard. We don't treat her like she has anything wrong with her.

'Sometimes, she'll check everyone's tummy to check if we have a bag but her condition does not faze her at all.'

But one of the hardest part is seeing other children experience the lifestyle her granddaughter won't be able to do.

'For me its watching her be so normal but also knowing she has such a serious issue that's the most difficult emotionally,' she said.

'How do you say no to a child when they ask you for a drink of water? It's hard to say no because we always encourage our children to drink heaps of water.

'But I know she can't have it, but that's hard when she says she's thirsty. Sometimes she sneaks it here or there but it's not good for her.'

She requires constant care and relies on a feeding line into her heart so she can only absorb liquid nutrients through a tube to keep her healthy

The girl loves playing in the backyard with her family, including her uncle Gaige (pictured)

Ms Dudman, who gets medical training from the hospital, took Mayana under her care since the day she was born after her teenage parents were afraid they were not competent enough to cater for her serious needs.

WHAT IS GASTROSCHISIS? 

Gastroschisis is a type of abdominal wall defect that occurs when a child's intestines do not develop fully while in the womb.

In the early stages of pregnancy, the intestine develops within the umbilical cord. Weeks later it moves inside the foetus' abdomen.

But where an unborn child has gastroschisis, the abdominal wall does not completely form. It results in the intestines growing outside the body.

'I couldn't imagine being young and having to make such a big decision,' Ms Dudman said.

'Mayana's parents are both young and they have children of their own. They love her dearly but they were scared about doing something wrong.' 

The humble family recently ordered a $500 'dry suit' from the UK after the Ispwich community rallied together to raise funds to grant the little girl's Christmas wish.

Her serious medical condition means she cannot go near water, but with the special dry suit expected to be delivered in the new year, Mayana will be able to swim for the first time this summer.

And despite the difficulties in coping with the condition, Ms Dudman said her granddaughter has never failed to make people adore her.

'Some days it can be tough but I do hope she gets the opportunity one day to be like the rest of us,' Ms Dudman said.

'But I wouldn't change anything for the world. I love her to pieces and I would be lost without her.'

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