Kendall's Hope: Dear Kendall,

Sunday, September 20, 2009

Dear Kendall,

Food is not a bad thing. Food helps you to grow and be strong. You must have food to live.

Mommy and Daddy are not trying to poison you. We are trying to keep you healthy, maintain Ketosis, and keep your body functioning.

I realize you are coming up on the Terrible Two's and at this age your brother wouldn't eat or drink either, but you are a little different. You must eat. You must drink. Fighting Mommy every feeding is unacceptable. Stiffening your entire body and arching your back is not nice. It makes her want to pull her hair out. It makes her lose sleep with worry for you. Kendall, please, please, please, eat!

I've ordered you new flavorings from Bickman. Maybe strawberry KetoCal will help. This week, I promise you will have more of a variety of solid foods after I spend the entire day pureeing meats and vegetables. Yes, they will be drenched in Ranch dressing or butter, but that's better than seizures...right?

With you having super high Ketones and Diabetes, it is even more important for you to eat and drink. So, Kendall, please, lets leave this phase of no eating behind. Starting TODAY.

Love,
Mom

4 comments:

Tara Bennett said...: Oye, good luck with this one. I wish I had some wise advice, but all I can say is good luck to you, and ditto of what you said to Kendall.; September 20, 2009 at 10:48 AM
Kristina said...: Hi - came to take a look at the new Kidz Krew member. I had a post on feeding a while back - seems like lots of us are ready to pull our hair out with feeding! It doesn't make it easier to know in the moment that there are others out there with the same issue, but when I log on and see other posts it feels like maybe we aren't so different after all!

Good luck!
Kristina; September 20, 2009 at 6:53 PM
Bronx Cataldo's said...: Sorry love no words of advice on the feding issues. But I do know all about pulling the hair out from frustration. I am surprised I have any left at all. All I cna say fingers, toes and everything else we can cross in hoping that tomorrow will be better.; September 20, 2009 at 7:02 PM
Cristin said...: oh my. reading stuff like this makes me thankful for the g-tube. good luck!; September 20, 2009 at 7:46 PM

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What's the Scoop?

We are very open about our journey with Kendall. We're happy to answer any questions, and welcome all your comments! The one thing we don't want is to be isolated from our friends and family. I've been that person who thinks it is easier to just ignore a child with special needs and their family. I've feared hearing their story. I've been guilty of looking through a child with special needs. I've also thought and said "how on earth do you deal everyday?" Although it certainly isn't easy, we are a normal family...celebrating all the milestones our daughter hits (and maybe cheering a little louder in the process!) Let me tell you...it's been a long road with many bumps but the love and support we receive daily is what keeps us truckin'! Click here for the full story on our precious baby girl Kendall Ann, or scroll down for the quick recap! Thanks for visiting!

About Kendall...

Kendall Ann has blessed our lives in so many ways. She is truly a gift from God and has proven herself to be a fighter from the beginning. She was born with many neurological and optical abnormalities, which we now know is due to a stroke in utero...probably due to her Factor V Leiden mutation and two copies of the MTHFR gene (1-14-09). Oh, and NOW she has Type 1 Diabetes (8-19-09) And NOW (12-16-10) she has problems with her Mitochondria ... and NOW (2-11-13) a neurogenic bladder resulting in a vesicostomy. Of course there is a possibility of a Mitochondrial Disorder, and a possibility CDLK5 caused all the problems and Mito secondary...but we will never know, because we've decided no more testing! When she was born she came right home...no NICU stay...and we had no idea anything was wrong! She has undergone numerous hospital stays and a number of surgeries, but through it all, she has maintained a smile that wins the hearts of everyone who meets her. Please join us in our journey of life with a special little girl full of spunk and personality who happens to have multiple disabilities.