To feed. To Nourish. I always thought it was strange that when we celebrate, or mourn, or just socialize, whatever the reason usually it always revolves around food. I don't know if it is exclusive to being Jewish, if it goes back to our history when there was a time when there was no food in desperate times, but we always seem to fall back on taking food to an occasion. When someone wants to help, typically the best or sometimes only way they know how is to make a meal. Believe me not long ago after my surgery it was the hardest thing to accept yet the most appreciated. And I understood that we feel helpless and that is all we feel we know how to do because that is our instinct. Probably as a nurturer and a mother is to nourish and feed.
So to see him literally wasting away and refusing to even talk about food or drink when he needs it to sustain his strength. This kid. If anyone knows Daniel you know this kid is an eater. This kid can eat the amount of two grown men at a dinner table and still have room for dessert. For the first week and a half the doctors said don't worry about it stop offering, he will be fine, then it changed to he is on I.V. nutrition he will be fine, don 't worry, the chemo isn't allowing him to keep anything down. Now they tell me to start to be concerned. He is losing muscle mass and he needs to at least try. Now we are turning the corner and looking towards the point of going home (at least for a short time) and they do not want him going home with I.V. nutrition. What can a mother do to force a child to want to eat. We used to say you can't leave the table until your food is all gone. Now I just want him to take one bite.