Adelaide mum Sammie Garcia drops to 30kg as rare digestive disorder shuts down her body

She once weighed just 30kg and was close to death. This Adelaide single mum says she has a rare condition that stops her body from processing food — and every day is a fight to survive.

Sammie Garcia at home in Brompton. Sammie has a rare condition that stops her body from processing food. Picture: Emma Brasier

At just 30kg, Sammie Garcia was wasting away.

She could no longer digest food. Meals sat in her stomach for days or came back up violently. She was in constant pain, using a wheelchair to get around at times, and terrified she wouldn’t survive.

“It was traumatic. It was absolutely terrifying,” the 30-year-old said.

“My body had eaten every piece of fat and muscle. It was just skin hanging off the bone.”

The Adelaide single mum said she lives with three rare and debilitating digestive conditions: gastroparesis, which paralyses the stomach muscles; gastroptosis, where the stomach collapses into the pelvis; and Superior Mesenteric Artery Syndrome (SMAS), in which a major artery compresses the small intestine and blocks digestion.

All of them, she says, stem from a genetic connective tissue disorder she was born with called hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome.

“I could eat a sandwich or a pie, and it could stay in my stomach for days,” she said.

“Eventually, it gets vomited up either immediately or days later.”

Even liquids like water, milk and juice can trigger vomiting.

She said her health began declining in 2020 but hit crisis point in late 2023 when her weight plummeted to just 30kg.

Sammie Garcia in hospital at her lowest weight, just 30kg, in late 2023. Picture: Supplied

Sammie Garcia in hospital at her lowest weight, just 30kg, in late 2023. Picture: Supplied

She lost so much muscle mass that she couldn’t walk, would be hit with bad dizzy spells and had to rely on a wheelchair to get around at times.

She also faced cruel judgment from strangers.

“People thought I was anorexic or on drugs,” Ms Garcia said.

“I’ve never touched drugs in my life. My neighbour once said, ‘Look at you — you’re obviously a crackhead.’ I went inside and cried. It was humiliating.”

“I’d just walk around in baggy clothes because I was so ashamed.”

She was briefly admitted to hospital and given a temporary feeding tube, gaining a few kilos, but without long-term support, her condition worsened.

Forced to seek private care, Ms Garcia’s stepmother paid $6000 for a surgical feeding tube that bypasses her stomach and delivers nutrition directly into her intestine.

“Nobody wants a feeding tube,” she said.

Sammie Garcia at home in Brompton. Sammie has a rare condition that stops her body from processing food. Picture: Emma Brasier

“I hate being hooked up to a pump 24/7. But if I don’t, I starve.”

Since then, she says she’s spent more than $16,000 out-of-pocket on formula, syringes and medical supplies — a tough feat, given she receives only a carer’s pension and had to quit her last job due to her health.

“Any time I run out of feed, it literally feels like my body is shutting down,” she said.

“My body doesn’t know how to hold onto energy anymore.”

Now back up to 46kg, Ms Garcia says her body is still fragile — but she’s not giving up.

“I try and make life as normal as possible around my daughter,” she said.

“When she eats, I sit with her. I do it all for her — she’s the reason I keep going.”

Originally published as Adelaide mum Sammie Garcia drops to 30kg as rare digestive disorder shuts down her body