Have you ever wondered about my diet when looking at me? Do you eat or are you on a feeding tube? What can you have? Often people think I don’t eat much because of how skinny I am. Even when I was a baby, doctors talked my parents into putting me on a feeding tube for that same reason. Mom didn’t think that was right. I am grateful that she chose not to listen. Could you imagine watching others eat while being on a liquid diet? I couldn’t sit at the same table. That has to be really difficult. 

When people see me eat, their minds are blown away. Have you heard the phase “second breakfast” from The Lord of the Ring? At night, I always have a second dinner. Growing up, I used to be pretty hungry before going to bed. By morning, my stomach was growling. Finally I talked with my parents about it. They didn’t know. Often my family would be already done before I eat half of dinner. That is why I rarely ask for more food. I don’t want to keep my parents waiting, which is an interesting concept. I have patience to wait between bites, but not eating at a table for over 30 minutes. Especially when people move on to other things. There is always a fine line between keeping me healthy and having people wait for me to get full. If my arms had better coordination, I would be eating more. I probably would be healthier. 

It wasn’t until a few years ago that I found myself eating faster. My parents began cutting food up then put it on the side of my mouth. Tongue is another muscle I have a hard time controlling. Almost every bite I swallow whole. Would you have patience to slide each and every bite over to the sides of your mouth? I rarely chew up my food well, even to this day. That is why I always cough and choke. Trying to move my tongue to certain directions is a workout. Putting food in the sides of my mouth really makes a difference. Besides having my food cut up, I eat like a normal person.