- Mum battles for answers after her 18-month-old son suffers severe vomiting, diarrhoea, bloating and feeding issues from birth.
- Doctors eventually diagnose hereditary fructose intolerance, revealing his liver was dangerously enlarged.
- Both her children are later diagnosed, inspiring her to create HFI-safe recipes, an online community, and a national support organisation.
- Today the kids are thriving on a strict fructose-free diet, and the family advocates for better food labelling and medical awareness.
Kristina Thacker, 40, Sydney, NSW tell her own story in her words.
‘Please just one little mouthful,’ I pleaded, holding out the spoonful of mushed banana to my son, Jackson.
His cheeks bright red, my heart broke at the flood of tears down his cheeks as he refused the bite.
It was 2015 and, at 18 months old, his tiny belly was bloated and I could see he was in agony.
Ever since he was born, Jackson would vomit after every formula feed.
He’d had terrible diarrhoea too.
Countless visits to doctors left us without answers as tests were inconclusive.
‘It’s probably gas or reflux,’ they’d shrug.
One doctor suggested a dairy allergy, so we swapped to soy formula. But his symptoms persisted.
In my heart, I knew it was something more.
When we’d started solids, things only became worse. Mushed banana, pumpkin, carrot were all refused. Meals ended with Jackson in tears, violently vomiting.
The only things he could stomach were plain pasta, cheese, and plain Greek yoghurt.
‘I don’t know what to do,’ I cried to my husband Ashley, then 32.
‘We’ll figure it out,’ he promised, as lost as I was.
Worried Jackson was missing vital nutrients, we returned to see the paediatrician. While waiting, I gave Jackson a bottle of formula. Fifteen minutes later in the doctor’s office, he vomited everywhere.
All three of us were covered in sick. Finally, we were given a referral for an abdominal ultrasound.
Doctors were shocked to find his liver was so enlarged it was just slightly smaller than an adult’s!
READ MORE: Medical shock: Eating chicken makes me feel drunk
Sent to a liver specialist at the Children’s Hospital at Westmead, there the doctor quizzed me on Jackson’s eating habits.
‘If you give him apple juice, what happens?’ the doctor asked.
‘He refuses it or ends up with explosive diarrhoea and projectile vomiting,’ I replied.
He suggested testing for hereditary fructose intolerance (HFI), a rare genetic disorder where the body can’t break down fructose. It causes a build-up of toxins in the liver leaving it damaged.
‘We’ll need a specialised DNA test to confirm,’ the specialist said.
Desperate for answers, Ashley and I agreed.
READ MORE: We Lost 45 Kilos Drinking Choccy Milkshakes!
Four weeks later, the results were in. ‘Jackson is positive,’ the doctor said explaining that Ashley and I had unknowingly both passed on the HFI gene.
I was so relieved to have answers, but I couldn’t believe that sugar had been poisoning our son! He wasn’t only allergic to lollies – he was allergic to healthy foods like fruit and vegies.
‘He must stay on a strict diet completely avoiding fructose, sucrose and sorbitol,’ the doctor said.
Sugar is in everything. How will I keep him safe? I fretted.
I started working with a dietitian and spent hours at the supermarket scrutinising every label.
I learned that there are over 100 words for ‘sugar’ in foods.
Vegies and fruits were cut from Jackson’s diet, but even things like bread and toothpaste contained hidden sugars.
Looking for fructose-free recipes online, I struggled to find things suitable for Jackson.
While some ruled out sugar, they included fructose with capsicums or cucumbers, so in 2016 I started an Instagram and my website HFI Kitchen, where I shared my own recipes.
Starting simple I made plain pasta topped with plain mince or plain chicken, and was over the moon when Jackson gobbled them up, pain free.
Vegies and fruits were cut from Jackson’s diet, but even things like bread and toothpaste contained hidden sugars.
‘Yummy!’ he cried.
It was incredible.
In December 2018 Jackson, then five, became a big brother when Ashley and I welcomed a little girl, Audrey. At seven weeks, her genetic test results confirmed that Audrey also had HFI.
Thankfully, she breastfed well, and when she moved to solids, I knew how to keep her safe.
While managing the kids’ diets can be tricky, I’ll go to any lengths to keep them safe and healthy.
For birthdays I make a sugar-free cake out of flour, eggs, milk, butter and safe vanilla essence, decorating it with cream cheese icing.
At seven weeks, her genetic test results confirmed that Audrey also had HFI.
Seeing their faces light up is the greatest.
In November 2024, a woman named Corinne reached out to me via Instagram. She was a mum to two boys. I’ve just been diagnosed with HFI at 45. I’d love to meet, she said.
The next week, Corinne flew down from the Sunshine Coast.
Over lunch we realised our shared passion for HFI education.
‘Food labelling needs to be clearer,’ she suggested.
‘And health professionals need training to spot the signs of HFI,’ I added.
Together we established the not-for-profit group HFI Support Australia.
We want to help educate health professionals about HFI, as it’s often misdiagnosed. And we’re pushing for better food labelling, as many products contain hidden sugars listed as just ‘syrup’ or ‘sweeteners’.
For those with HFI it can be a matter of life or death.
Today, Jackson and Audrey are active, happy kids. They have ultrasounds each year to monitor for liver damage, but in January this year Jackson’s liver had shown signs of shrinkage for the first time.
It was a huge relief.
Jackson, now 11, loves soccer and Audrey, six, has started Brazilian jujitsu. They swim together in our backyard pool for hours.
Their favourite snack is my savoury cheese cookies, just one of the recipes from my Instagram and website. I’m publishing a cookbook in 2026.
For holidays such as Christmas and Easter that celebrate with chocolate and lollies, we gift the kids a toy or some cash, so they don’t feel left out.
I’m proving life is sweet, even without sugar!
Visit hfikitchen.com.au and hfisupport.org.au
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