A Taste of Thanksgiving for Emilio

Seven-month-old Emilio is a patient on our Infant and Toddler Unit, admitted to Blythedale Children’s Hospital for specialized feeding therapy after aspirating while eating. He currently receives all of his nutrition through a nasogastric (NG) tube, but in October he began trialing purees, an exciting step in his progression.

Before introducing purees, Emilio underwent a fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES) to assess his swallow function and ensure it was safe to begin oral trials. Blythedale’s clinical team has the expertise to perform these studies on site, allowing for seamless evaluation and care.

During feeding therapy, Senior Speech-Language Pathologist Gina DiSalvatore Longarzo, MS, CCC-SLP, TSSLD, uses purees to help Emilio become familiar with eating by mouth, strengthening the muscles involved in feeding, practicing safe swallowing, and learning to take food from a spoon. So far, he has tried banana, sweet potato, and squash.

For Emilio’s mom, Cathy, these early tastes represent more than new foods, they’re steps toward a future she envisions for her son. Meals are cherished family time, and she looks forward to introducing Emilio to the family's favorites. 

“Someday, I hope that he will eat different traditional Ecuadorian food dishes like ceviche and be able to eat at the table with us,” she said.