Getting Dad to Eat Again

Finally giving in to my pleas, dad pulled out this George Foreman Grill. He used to love cooking pork chops on his grill. He had forgotten how much he enjoyed it. We aren't sure exactly why he stopped using it.

At first, dad would complain that he just wasn't hungry. Due to the starvation or Anorexia, his stomach would have shrunk to the point of not feeling hungry. A child victim of Anorexia, I knew the drill. I insisted that dad eat three meals a day. It did not matter that he was not hungry. His orders were to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Once he started eating again, it was easy. I called dad each night to see how he was doing and asses what he had eaten that day. He would report with excitement in his voice how easy it was and how delicious his meal was. Even his girlfriend gained weight and began to look much more vibrant.

Dad's energy, however, was still very low and there were days when he couldn't even come to the telephone to talk with me. I became increasingly alarmed. That is when I insisted on making a doctor's appointment for him and tagging along for the ride. Dad was so weak by this point that he really couldn't refuse.