Burdened by my namesake, I have 12 labors to
conquer during my life’s journey.
I accomplished my first labor by surviving a
harrowing birth and entering the world 11 weeks premature in a surprisingly healthy
state (see here).
I conquered my second labor 3-months later when I had grown strong enough to
leave the intensive care unit that had been my only home and travel to Mount
Olympus where Daddy and Mama live (see here).
It has been 19 months since I accomplished my
second labor, and during that time, I have experienced some amazing things.
Daddy and Mama have taken me to New York City, Chicago, Hawaii, and Paris. Yet
none of these adventures earned me another labor. Each real labor requires
extraordinary effort, courage, skill, and persistence.
In ancient times, the first two Herculean
labors—killing the Nemean Lion and killing the Lernean Hydra—were intense
struggles for survival. The intensity of those labors mirrored my fight in the
womb as well as my fight in the intensive care unit. My third labor was
appropriately parallel to the 3rd ancient labor, which required the 1-year
persistence hunt of the Golden Horned Hind of Ceryneia. To capture the Hind, Hercules
did not rely on his god-like strength or his formidable courage; rather, it was his
unending tenacity that ultimately won the day.
I was born before my digestive system fully
developed; furthermore, my stomach had slipped through my diaphragm, and as
such it was compressed each time I took a deep breath. Those ailments meant
that I started life with a terrible condition that caused stomach acids to be
injected into my throat while I ate. That constant chest pain made eating excruciating,
and as such, I was fitted with a tube that put food directly into my stomach so
that I could get the nutrition that I needed while we worked to fix my stomach
and throat.
To correct my anatomy, mama and daddy did
drastic things. I had a surgery to place my feeding tube; I had a surgery to
tighten my lower esophageal sphincter; and I had a surgery to relocate my
stomach to my abdomen as well as to fix the diaphragmatic hernia that enabled
my stomach to move into my chest. These surgeries—and the associated recovery
times—took nearly 9 months. So, around October of last year, the mechanical errors
in my anatomy had—at long last—been fixed.
But, during that time, I had grown accustomed
to getting most of my nutrition through my tube. So, now I had to learn to eat
on my own. To be immodest—which is rare for me—I took to eating on my own damn
fast! By the end of October, just about 1 month from having fully recovered
from my surgeries, I was eating 100% of my calories by mouth. I told Mama and
Daddy that we should remove the feeding tube in my stomach because I was eating
so well.
But, Mama and Daddy were more cautious than
me. They were worried that I while I was eating all of my calories by mouth,
most of those calories were coming from special formula. I was not yet skilled
at eating meats, bread, cheeses, etc. So, they decided that I would keep the
tube in my stomach until I was able to eat a well-balanced diet of solid food.
That was a challenge that I accepted. I
worked hard every day to learn how to chew, how to bite, and how to swallow.
During my trials, I had help from two incredible people. Heather Keeton—my
nanny—and Anne Giosso—my feeding therapist. These two amazing ladies were there
for me every day. Their dedication inspired me, and I could not have triumphed
without them.
I became familiar with a cornucopia of
delightful dishes including pasta, steak, guacamole, crackers, soup, yogurt,
chicken, bread, butter, vegetables, fruit, and so on. By the middle of
February, I was eating anything that anyone put in front of me. I told Mama
and Daddy, “ok, now let’s take out this tube.” But, being overly cautious, they
decided to wait a little longer to make sure that I would continue to grow
while eating all on my own.
By mid-April, it was time. I had grown
consistently for the past 6 months while eating entirely on my own, and I had
developed a wide and inclusive palate. So, on Sunday, April 14, Mama and Daddy
decided that I had conquered my 3rd labor. As the Hercules of
antiquity had patiently tracked the Hine for over a year, I had conquered my
feeding tube through dogged persistence and dedication.
I now have 9 more labors to complete.
Removing the Peg.
Mamma and me as we eagerly anticipate the removal of my Peg.
Mama removing my Peg.
Peg Removed!
Examining my old friend.
With my Proud Daddy after the Peg was removed.
Triumph!
