When Suzanne came downstairs this morning and walked over to greet me at my too often position in front of the computer, she shared that it was one year ago today that she last ate solid food. WOW, where has the time gone, and how did we get here?

I stood up, we hugged, and then, just like anyother day, we proceeded to head to the kitchen to each prepare our own breakfasts; I had steel-cut oats with pecans & brown sugar and mango juice, and Suzanne, well she had something liquid. In fact, that’s what I watch her eat every meal, three times a day, seven days a week, she only gets something liquid.

A year ago, I knew after her surgery our lives would be different forever but at that time just couldn’t realize just how much. It’s hard for anyone to imagine the life where something as automatic as a swallow would be taken away from us. A little over a month after her surgery, thickened water was all that was allowed to pass her lips as she learned how to tip her head back and let the liquid slide down her throat. As time moved on, she was allowed to try limited amounts of liquids and nutritional drinks, eventually working up to drinking the whole bottle. That 10 ounces would take her upwards of an hour for her to drink but her persistence paid off. That 10 ounces now takes her about the same amount of time it would you but she’ll never be able to satisfy that urge to just take a big gulp.

Every time we sit down to eat. My plate is filled with solid food, each with its own individual smells, tastes, and textures that brings the satisfaction we all get with a good meal. But for Suzanne, there is no individual texture as it’s all blended, there is no individual smell as it’s just one, and taste, I’m sure it’s better than using the feeding tube but I’m not sure how much. Only she can say, and overwhelmingly she would tell you, YES, it’s better.

We are now at a point where about three nights a week we eat the same food for supper. Suzanne will make an evening meal that I can fill my plate with, and at the same time, she can blend together into a shake. She’s had a beef stroganoff shake, three cheese tortellini & Italian sausage shake, macaroni & cheese shake, even a pizza shake. We just haven’t figured out how to make a Kentucky Fried Chicken into a shake, but we will someday.

The only way I can explain how she has gotten this far is perseverance. If you looked up that word on Google the definition would say “persistence in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success” and then there would be a photo of Suzanne. We should all have that drive and persistence in our lives. Think of all the good that could be ackomplished.

Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.

James 1:12

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