Sunshine and Brandis
“The bFed™ System has made for a seamless transition from pump feeds to bolus feeds. The switch to the Bolee™ Bag made my daughter feel like she was in charge because it offered her a mess-free way to be a more active participant in her own care as she works toward weaning off the tube.” -Brandis
Her teachers and friends call her “Sunshine” and it’s easy to see why in this picture taken during a dress rehearsal between scenes of her school play. At 9 years old, she is eating well by mouth and working hard to wean from the G-tube, but it has been a long road. Her tube feeding journey started when she was first hospitalized at just 10 weeks old. Brandis remembers the first few years as a time of stress and struggle as Sunshine’s doctors tried to figure out what was wrong. The feeding tube made it possible for Sunshine to get the nutrition she needed, but because her parents didn’t know anyone else whose child was tube fed, it was also the beginning of a long process of research and discovery. Over time, Brandis started to better understand Sunshine’s body cues and became more confident in her own ability to care for her unique needs. As a mom of 5, a high school track coach, a foster care volunteer, and a blogger, you’d think her plate was full! But Brandis is also a member of the great team at Feeding Tube Awareness where her experience and wisdom is greatly appreciated by other tube feeding moms looking for support, information, and encouragement!
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Andrew
“I like using the Bolee™ Bag because it’s so much faster. I can do it on the way to school, coming home from school, and in between activities in the car. I like being able to do it by myself” -Andrew
Andrew is a happy and very active 6 year old boy who was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis at birth. When he was being tube fed through a pump, he was frustrated because he couldn’t move around and couldn’t “speed up the feeding” when he wanted to play with friends. One of the things he loves about using the Bolee Bag is that he can feed himself every day on the way home from school so that by the time he gets home, he’s ready to play! His mom and dad shared that the two greatest things The bFed System has given their son is EMPOWERMENT (freedom to take his meals where and when he wants) and ACCOUNTABILITY (because he can do this himself and is taking ownership of his disease) …
“He’s only 6 and he can do this all by himself because it’s so easy to use! He can eat his meals where ever he wants and can squeeze the bag to make it go faster so he feels much more in control of taking care of himself! Because it’s quicker, this process has also given us time back with our son and you simply can’t put a price on that!” -Mom & Dad
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Lage and Rebecca
“My son Lage has Cerebral Palsy and has been tube fed for almost 17 years. I am so thankful that we found out about The bFed™ System because using the Bolee™ Bag has been a blessing for us. It’s great not having to deal with all the messy syringes and being able to prepare meals in advance so they are ready to use when Lage is hungry. One of the big things for him is the normalcy part of the process because it’s not a syringe and he’s eating the way normal kids eat.” -Rebecca
Rebecca is an RN and consulting nurse for special needs students and has worked with many g-tube fed children and adults. A lot of what she’s learned about tube feeding has come from caring for Lage, not from her clinical education. Tube feeding began for them as he got older and wasn’t getting enough nutrition orally and they had to start tube feeding when he was 8. The transition was hard because he had a love for food, but formulas just didn’t taste good and made him gag. Then at 13 he started to have problems with aspiration and needed to go full-time on the tube feeding.
Lage still loves food and helps out when he can with the preparation in blending his meals. His participation helps keep food “real” for them which is very important. The only adjustment she’s made for The bFed System is to thin her blends a little to make squeezing easier. Traveling is also easier now because she can take a few bags with her in an “enclosed system.”
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George and Carolyn
“My husband George got his tube in 2017 and we used gravity feeding until I read about The bFed™ System through a post on the Oley Foundation site. This is so easy for me to use and we both like this so much better than what we were doing. The bags are so sturdy and simple to use and I honestly don’t know how anyone can use the syringes?” -Carolyn
Although Carolyn and George live in a great senior community with lots of support, they didn’t know anyone else using a feeding tube and had to figure things out on their own as they went along. After experimenting to find the right nutrition to help her husband gain weight, Carolyn settled on a combination of blending meals and thinning them down with Kate Farms. Because George has neuropathy and essential tremor, he needed help in administrating the flow of the nutrition, which was why Carolyn loved how easy the Bolee™ Bag was to use. She makes the meals each day and then simply pours what she needs from the blender into the Bolee Bag when it’s time for George to eat or places the Bolee Bags in the refrigerator or freezer for future use.
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Shay and Tara
“We just took a road trip with my tubie daughter and not having to refill syringes while on the road was so wonderful! Just try to fill 5 syringes in a moving car with a screaming kid…it’s not fun! The Bolee™ Bag is an easy and mess-free way to give a bolus feeding and is the greatest thing since sliced bread! Thanks for such an awesome product” -Tara
Tara’s daughter Shay is 6 years old and has needed a feeding tube since she was 14 months old. Tara would have preferred the tube earlier, but the doctors didn’t recommend it until she forced the issue. As a Pediatric Nurse, she knew this was what her daughter needed and it was a blessing to finally get the surgery for the tube. But unfortunately, and maybe because of Tara’s medical background, the surgeon didn’t think she “needed any information about tube feeding” so she had to figure everything out on her own. Since then, Tara has joined multiple groups on social media, which is where she learned about The bFed System, and is so thankful for the support and sharing that’s just a click away. Shay still has daily seizures, so maintaining the right nutrition and hydration will always be an issue, but because of the amazing support within the tube feeding community, she knows she’ll never be alone.
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Evely and Tameka
“I am now looking forward to Spring and Summer because the bFed™ System gives me the freedom to spend a whole day out having fun without worrying about packing multiple messy syringes for Evely’s feedings. I just love the Bolee Bag! One of the unexpected joys was that because this system is so easy to use, my 4-year-old daughter Luna can actually manage the feedings for her little sister which is such a blessing because it makes her feel like she is taking care of Evely. Luna even taught her grandpa how to do it so he could help feed Evely too! Who knew something so simple would have such a major impact on our lives! Every G-tube family needs this system!” –Tameka
Evely is considered a “medically complex” child who was born with four rare diseases including Bilateral Anophthalmia which left her blind at birth. When her daughter wasn’t gaining weight, Tameka sensed something was wrong even though she was told to “just wait it out.” Fortunately, her Pediatrician told her to “trust her instincts” and scheduled new tests that revealed Evely’s heart was failing due to pulmonary hypertension which led to two heart procedures and the placement of a G-tube. Through careful monitoring of her daughter’s nutrition intake and the use of blenderized meals, Nourish and Real Food Blends, Tameka is happy to report that Evely is doing well. She loves the freedom and normalcy the bFed System has returned to her family and commenting on Evely’s perpetual smile, Tameka said “her joy is so pure and it’s simply amazing that it takes a person who is blind to help you finally see life.”
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