The irony of the event that shaped my life and made me the person that I am today is the fact that I do not remember it. In the spring of 2005, I was born premature and underweight. I luckily had a twin sister who was in the same boat as me. My sister and I refused to eat anything, so the doctors had to give us feeding tubes so we would eat. However, what my parents did not know was that my right nasal passage had never fully developed and this is why I could not eat. From the outside nothing looked wrong, my nose looked completely normal. While not life threatening, it did affect my ability to breathe greatly and would affect me for the rest of my life.
This birth defect caused a lack of oxygen to my brain, which resulted in motor, speech, and language delays. It took close to one year, and several visits to the doctor, to finally get diagnosed with choanal atresia. This condition is rare and occurs mostly in females.
I needed several surgeries and chemotherapy at a young age. Plus, the many hours of occupational therapy and speech / language therapy. This was to address all my delays and my stutter. This event not only effected my development but also affected what I was allowed to eat for a major chunk of my life. The many months after my surgery was done. My diet consisted of foods that were very high in fiber and soft. This means I was consuming lots of rice, oatmeal, and pastas. This type of strict diet was not the dream of a 5-year-old. However, this strict diet made me who I am.
After those six months I was allowed to eat whatever, I wanted. However, my doctor recommended that I only eat fresh and healthy foods for another six months. This was to make sure that my body had all the nutrients it might need for long term recovery. During this time, I gained my love for cooking. I remember helping my parents in the kitchen all the time while they were making fresh food. Granted I was probably causing more trouble for them than actual helping.
Once that year of the strict and very healthy diet was over my parents let me finally eat whatever I wanted. With the freedom to now eat anything in the world. I didn’t look back once. I started eating everything I could get my hands on. I truly believe the year of the strict diet is the reason there isn’t a food I won’t eat. Once you have been eating the same things for so long everything different and new tastes amazing. This allowed me to try numerous foods from many cultures and places. It also allowed me to talk and meet tons of different people. As i’m writing this it’s really fascinating looking back on that point in my life. My surgery and food really shaped who I am, and I wouldn’t change it for anything.