A mother fights back against trolls who call her bad parents by allowing her daughter to weigh nearly 300 pounds.
Sherafien McDaniel, 29, of Atlanta, Georgia, is the mother of Angel, an 11-year-old girl who has Prader-Willi Syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that leaves her with insatiable hunger.
Angel’s cravings cause her to get up in the middle of the night to sneak food into her room, often eating until she becomes physically sick. Her peak time for “food sneaking,” as her mother calls it, is around 3am.
Weighing 275 pounds and standing just under 5 feet tall, Angel has a body mass index (BMI) of over 50, and as she grows, so does her appetite.
In the last 12 months alone, Ms McDaniel told her daughter has gained 30 pounds. Without radical intervention, she could eat herself to death.
Angel and her mother smile for a mother-daughter selfie
In the 2021 picture, Angel shows off her softball uniform
Angel eats three meals a day with countless snacks in between, her favorite dish being ramen. Ms McDaniel says she would eat almost anything but doesn’t like spicy food.
Ms McDaniel created a TikTok to raise awareness of Prader-Willi Syndrome, urging people to do their “research” before attacking her.
She told : “No one else can take better care of Angel than I can.” I’m her mother. I am sent to earth to take care of my child. she is my child
Prader-Willi syndrome occurs when genes on chromosome 15 inherited from the father are missing and are not passed on to the child.
The defect in chromosome 15 disrupts the normal functions of a part of the brain that releases hormones to control things like growth, sleep, mood and hunger.
In the US, only 3,400 people suffer from this disorder.
Those affected typically don’t live until their 30s because the excess fat puts them at higher risk for a variety of health problems, including heart disease and diabetes. However, some have been known to live past 60 years.
There are already warning signs for Angel. In June, Angel developed a large rash all over his body and was excessively thirsty.
Her mother took her to the hospital, where doctors diagnosed her with type 2 diabetes, which means she needs to take insulin before every meal and at bedtime.
Pictured above: Angel McDaniel aged three on Easter 2015
Four-year-old Angel on her first day of school in 2016
While there’s no cure for Prader-Willi Syndrome, there are some ways to manage it, such as taking appetite suppressants – which her mother says didn’t work for Angel.
Ms McDaniel has been looking at hormone therapy, which is known to help manage the disorder, but was told Angel’s sleep apnea, a serious and sometimes fatal sleep disorder caused by excess fat, would become disruptive as it leads to heart problems can.
In addition to sleep apnea, Angel suffers from hypothyroidism, a condition that causes the thyroid gland to not produce enough thyroid hormone.
As a result, their metabolism has drastically slowed, increasing the risk of weight gain even more.
In addition to her need to eat constantly, she also struggles with developmental issues that make it difficult for her to communicate verbally.
She also needs help with bathing and using the toilet.
Angel on a trip to New York City with her mother in 2023
Angel on a trip to New York City with her mother in 2023