Flake me !

A 8 year-old boy has started eating for the first time in his life — munching Flake chocolate bars. Dylan Lowes was born with a rare kidney defect and as he grew up he had to be fed though a tube to his stomach.

Despite 30 operations and a transplant five years ago, he was left with a total aversion to eating.

But he finally conquered his fear when he spotted a Flake in his mum’s handbag. He loved it so much he scoffs FIVE a day — but still refuses to eat anything else.

Medics are hoping that Dylan will soon start to try other foods.

His Flake diet means he no longer needs to be fed by tube during the day, although he still requires it for nourishment at night. Each bar gives him 180 calories, meaning his five a day give him just under half the 2,000 calories he needs.

Mum Lynn, 30, from Washington, Tyne and Wear, said: “We are so proud of him.

“After all these years it’s amazing to see him like every other kid — with chocolate round his mouth.” Lynn and salesman husband Paul, 32, started taking Dylan for treatment at London’s Great Ormond Street Hospital earlier this year.

Lynn said: “He wanted to tell the other children what he had done during the week, but was upset because he had nothing to tell them. He suddenly said, ‘I have to eat’.

“The only thing I had in my bag was a chocolate Flake. He licked it and it melted in his mouth and he loved it.”

Now Dylan, who has a sister Beth, 11, has also started drinking chocolate milkshake.

Lynn said: “We hope that eventually he’ll be able to eat and drink like other children.”