Parents' 19-year wait is over after son's diagnosis

SYNDROME HAS ONLY JUST BEEN DISCOVERED

- By DEBORAH HALL

FOR almost 20 years, the Hull parents of a son born with mystery symptoms have been wondering and waiting.

Now, Claire and Carl Stockton finally have answers about Finley. The young man has just been diagnosed with ReNU Syndrome, a condition only discovered last year and which so far is only known to affect about 20 people in the UK and around 250 worldwide.

Claire said: "We've had to wait over 19 years for this news. Now we'd like to raise awareness for other families who currently have undiagnosed children/young adults."

Doctors were baffled by Finley's developmental disorder, which saw him unable to sit unaided and dramatically underweight for his age, at 20 months. By the age of ten, Finley was said to have the mental age of an 18-month-old, he could not talk and struggled to walk.

In 2010, Claire was awarded the overall Woman Of Achievement Award by the Women in Business networking organisation, as well as picking up as the Voluntary And Community Award, for her charity work. In 2012, she was one of the torch bearers for the London Olympics 2012.