NTI_ALFIE_SMITH_PROTEIN_03

Alfie Smith, 7, is pictured at hs home in Awsworth, Nottinghamshire on January 26 2015, with a typical portion of food. Little Alfie Smith is desperate to play football with his friends – but he suffers from a rare condition that means eating a burger or even drinking too much milk could damage his brain. See NTI story NTIBURGER. The seven-year-old is allergic to protein, which has stunted his development – leaving him unable to feed himself, walk or control his movements. His parents are now desperately trying to raise £18,000 to fund pioneering treatment abroad which could help Alfie learn to walk. The genetic condition, called Glutaric Acidemia type 1, means the youngster's brain can be damaged if he eats more than 19g of protein a day – about three eggs, a small chicken breast or a pint of milk. It means things that normal children enjoy – such as a quarter-pounder burger – are off the menu and instead Alfie has to fill up on plates of cabbage and carrots. Last year he had an eight-hour operation in London to insert electrodes into his brain and a battery pack put into his stomach to cut down his involuntary movements by helping his brain to communicate with his limbs. His family, from Awsworth, now want to take him to a specialist clinic in Slovakia for a type of physiotherapy which is unavailable on the NHS.