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Jello turned out to be a big battle with the staff and my daughter, finally an ER nurse suggested boiled egg whites for her and she could just swallow them. They worked great and she loved them, but Jello was still what they were pushing on her. So, for every nurse, it was an uphill battle to get her egg whites. I kept telling them, she will still be here when she is 21 years old if you think she is not leaving until she eats Jello. My husband had to go to the hospital management to handle the problem. I was just too tired to fight every nurse that walked through the door. Management came right in and I explained the problem of my daughter (that my doctor was aware of her food issues and all he wanted was for her to eat something). We talked about how Jello would not work for her but that the ER nurse and her doctor said she could live on boiled egg whites for weeks and be fine. I explained, “I know my daughter has very different needs than other children that come into the hospital but some of her needs can be met by you, like having eggs whites for her in the refrigerator, you have Jello for everyone else. I change her bed multiple times a day, help with her medication, and bathe her, which I do not mind but I do think you have the responsibility of providing her nutriment even if it may not be the normal.” After this, A. had egg whites along with other food she could eat in the refrigerator that she could have anytime. She started eating after they gave her food and was feeling a little better.

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