The Boy Who Lent His Name to a Rare Syndrome

Charlene Langran faced every parent's worst nightmare: as a baby, her son Oakley would vomit any food he tried to consume. Little Oakley was diagnosed with an incredibly rare syndrome that prevents him from digesting any type of food, a condition so unique that it was named after him – Oakley's Syndrome. It began with his refusal to swallow milk and continued with relentless vomiting after every feeding. "I knew something was profoundly wrong," recalls his mother, Charlene Langran. "He was as thin as a skeleton and couldn't stop vomiting."

Oakley at one year old (screenshot)

Charlene's anxiety grew when Oakley developed breathing difficulties alongside his vomiting, leading to one of his lungs suddenly collapsing during an episode. "When that happened, the doctors decided to hospitalize him intermittently, and he began receiving nutrition through feeding tubes," she recounts.

At a year old, Oakley underwent a complex surgery as doctors attempted to uncover the underlying cause of his body's rejection of food. Despite an exhaustive 11-hour procedure, the mystery remained unsolved. Doctors informed Oakley’s parents that this might be a lifelong condition, but they remain hopeful that one day things will improve. "Oakley is a brave little boy, and we believe he'll overcome this," they affirm. Meanwhile, Oakley plays with plastic food, familiarizing himself with dishes he hopes to taste someday.

Whether he will taste them or not remains uncertain, but what is certain is our gratitude to Hashem for His everlasting blessings.