London:
A UK boy who suffers from a rare condition that drives him to munch on curtains and carpets has been given a new 36,000 pounds "inedible" bedroom after he gnawed through the walls of his last one.
Zach Tahir, of Salford, Greater Manchester, who has turned six, suffers from an eating disorder called PICA, which makes him crave inedible objects including stones, paper and moss.
His mother, Rachel Horn, said that "there's no limit to what he will try to eat" - a point proven when he started chewing on his furniture.
Happily Zach now has his very own inedible room after Salford Council and a series of generous donors, including members of the cast of Coronation Street and comedian John Bishop, helped to pay for a 36,000 pounds extension to the family home.
The room has been designed with squash-court type walls and furniture that he is unable to stick his teeth into as well as slanted window sills stop him from climbing, The Times reported.
Rachel, who gave up her bank job to care for Zach who is also autistic and cannot speak, said, "We don't know what appeals to him about objects around him but there's nothing we can do to stop him trying to chew through anything and everything".
"It's such a worry knowing he could put anything in his mouth, and when he began eating wood, I was terrified it may splinter in his mouth or he would swallow a large piece and choke," she said.
"His wardrobes and chest of drawers have been made with rounded edges and installed so he can't pull them over," Rachel said.
"We have also had to have blinds in his bedroom installed in between the window panes so he can't reach them, and the sticks to adjust them are magnetic so I can remove them as and when," she added.
Part of Zach's condition means that he cannot tell the difference between edible and inedible food.
In the past, Zach's mother has had to rip up celery and sprinkle nuts on the carpet in order to get her son to eat something of nutritional value.
CCTV has been installed in Zach's new bedroom so that Rachel can keep an eye on him any time she wants to.
Zach Tahir, of Salford, Greater Manchester, who has turned six, suffers from an eating disorder called PICA, which makes him crave inedible objects including stones, paper and moss.
His mother, Rachel Horn, said that "there's no limit to what he will try to eat" - a point proven when he started chewing on his furniture.
Happily Zach now has his very own inedible room after Salford Council and a series of generous donors, including members of the cast of Coronation Street and comedian John Bishop, helped to pay for a 36,000 pounds extension to the family home.
The room has been designed with squash-court type walls and furniture that he is unable to stick his teeth into as well as slanted window sills stop him from climbing, The Times reported.
Rachel, who gave up her bank job to care for Zach who is also autistic and cannot speak, said, "We don't know what appeals to him about objects around him but there's nothing we can do to stop him trying to chew through anything and everything".
"It's such a worry knowing he could put anything in his mouth, and when he began eating wood, I was terrified it may splinter in his mouth or he would swallow a large piece and choke," she said.
"His wardrobes and chest of drawers have been made with rounded edges and installed so he can't pull them over," Rachel said.
"We have also had to have blinds in his bedroom installed in between the window panes so he can't reach them, and the sticks to adjust them are magnetic so I can remove them as and when," she added.
Part of Zach's condition means that he cannot tell the difference between edible and inedible food.
In the past, Zach's mother has had to rip up celery and sprinkle nuts on the carpet in order to get her son to eat something of nutritional value.
CCTV has been installed in Zach's new bedroom so that Rachel can keep an eye on him any time she wants to.
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