So, I thought I would do something a little bit different that I have obviously never done on my blog yet.
Failure to Thrive, Like many other health issues. Is not very well understood. And is mistakenly thought of as the effects of abuse and only abuse.
In some cases abuse does play a factor. Just like in the case of young Mr Miller.
Mr Miller (As we shall call him) had a very rough start to life. At 6 months old he was diagnosed as Failure to Thrive. At the time he was still in the care of his birth parents.
By 9 months old he was placed in the home of his foster parents. Who would later become the parents he didn't have. The parents who would love him, cherish him, cuddle him and rock him when he cried. The parents who would be there to kiss him when he fell, teach him to ride a bike and watch all of his firsts. But, It didn't come that simply.
When Mr Miller was placed with his foster parents, he came to them Starving both physically and emotionally. The only thing he had ever known was a father who beat him and left bruises all over him, A mother who "forgot" to feed him for day's on end, a mother who watched his "father" beat him and did nothing to protect him.
When Mr and Mrs Miller took him into their home they had to teach him the very basics. The things that a 9 month old should have known shortly after birth. Mr Miller didn't even know how to eat. He couldn't crawl, couldn't sit up on his own and most importantly didn't know how to be loved. He was kept in his crib for up to 22 hours a day. With the bruising on his body, You can imagine what happened when he was not in the crib.
Mr Miller slowly started learning to eat with the help of Physical Therapy, and Feeding clinics he was soon eating first baby foods and by 18 months old was starting to master eating 2nd foods. He was thriving well under the love and care of his new parents.
Unfortunately, Mr Miller never has completely overcome the Failure to Thrive. At almost 15 years of age he is 4 ft 10 inches tall.
Our children go through so much heartache. At 15 He clearly understands that he still has a difficult time eating. His normal breakfast is only a waffle and a Pb&J sandwich for lunch. He knows that he is smaller than the average 15 year old. And that frustrates him. His own 12 yr old brother is bigger than he is.
Mr Miller may be a smaller person than you. But, the hurdles he faces every day are far more surmountable than most other people bigger than he is. In my eyes that makes him AWESOME!!!
Like A lot of Failure to Thrive children, That is not his only Diagnoses. As if Failure to Thrive was not a big enough mountain to climb, Mr Miller also has Autism, A,D,H,D, -O,C,D- IGF-1 DEFICIENCY-MOOD DISORDER, DEPRESSION, O,D,D- ANXIETY DISORDER.
Young Mr Miller is a fighter. He is a hero.
Getting a FTT child to eat is a huge struggle. It's not that they don't want to. It's that they Can not eat. Their body doesn't always let them. They struggle with textures.
Mr Miller doesn't like hard foods. Doesn't like most meats. And loves ketchup. You have to learn what they will eat to help them gain weight. And that is not always an easy task. In fact, most times. That task is almost impossible.
Sometimes the gag reflex is activated so easily that it makes the child not want to even attempt eating.
I dare you to look up some Failure to Thrive research. And learn from it.
Thank you Kelly Miller for providing me with your story. You are doing an amazing job.
If you would like to be featured as well, Please leave a comment below with your email address and I will email you.
Bre Shafer AKA Crazy Mama
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