About a week or so ago Bobby said that he could maybe try to eat some jello. So I immediately walked over to my mom's house and stole a box from her pantry. I came home and quickly made it, put it in the fridge and was off to work. Several hours later I asked him how it was, and he hadn't even tried it yet. When I got home the next morning I saw a small bowl sitting on the kitchen counter with a spoon and jello remains at the bottom. Again, I asked him if he ate it, and when he told me "Yes, I got it down" I couldn't believe how emotional I got! Over jello! After about 2 months of never putting anything in his mouth (with the exception of his toothbrush) he was sipping water and eating green jello! Who cares if it was only about 3 tablespoons worth- he got it down! It hurt, it burned, but he did it. Since then he has braved Cream of Wheat and grits (both a post-tonsil surgery favorite), yogurt, and soup. Yesterday the soup he tried tasted like "how an ashtray would taste" in his words, but again, he ate it. His most dominant taste buds right now are salt, and everything just seems so overpowering and strong to him. Since he has started trying to eat food, the water is going down much better now too, so we are grateful for the slow, but steady progress.
This morning he did 25 push-ups with me, and has been dragging out his exercise bike a few days a week to slowly ride. His poor body has really been beaten down with the treatments, but I'm so proud of him for the effort he is making to overcome and move on. The pain he feels in his throat, ear, and at the site of his feeding tube are persistent, but, he endures and doesn't complain.
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