Aloha, Call it PFD!

Help us have a better system of care for children with pediatric feeding disorder.

Before Jeremiah was born, his heart was beating very strongly, and even waved his hand during ultrasound testing. While dad and his two older brothers were on the Island of Hawai’i, 7 years ago Jeremiah came into this world on the island of Oahu. We had no idea why he was only 2 ½ pounds at birth when he was admitted into the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Since birth, he has had an ng tube ( a small tube that is inserted through the nose, down the throat, and into the stomach) to help with getting nutrition into his body. At 10 days old, he underwent a major surgery in which more than half of his intestines were removed. He spent the first 7 months of his life in the NICU. Jeremiah went home to the Big Island, Island of Hawai’i for the first time with the ng tube. At two years old, we asked medical professionals to have Jeremiah have a g-tube (a tube inserted through the belly directly to the stomach) because it was way too traumatic for the family to hold Jeremiah down to place his ng tube into his nose. It has been a roller coaster ride trying to figure out what to do with his feeding challenges. There was constant throwing up, trial and error on ways to feed him and see if he would accept it. Four years ago, as I was searching the internet to find resources on how I could help Jeremiah with his feeding challenges, I came upon Feeding Matters. We have benefited from the Family Assistance Program, the Power of Two Program, and education about pediatric feeding disorders. In return for Feeding Matters generosity, I have been a volunteer in the Power of Two Family Coach Program for about 2 years now. Since moving back to Hilo this past summer, we were blessed to have Jeremiah receive therapy from a Speech Language Pathologist who specializes in feeding therapy, AND he gets to see her once a week. There have been a few breakthroughs. He is currently working on biting. He throws up from time to time, which is something we are trying to figure out why it is happening. Our current insurance will not cover feeding intensive therapy. He would greatly benefit at this time. He is on the qualified list to be in the program.

Please join me in spreading awareness of pediatric feeding disorders (PFD) so that children are identified early and families do not have to face this battle alone.

Your donation of any amount will go a long way toward helping me meet my goal for Feeding Matters. Mahalo nui loa (Thank you very much) for joining me in this work to create a world where children with PFD will thrive.