Jer & Min Photography

His eyes were so bright this morning.

Last night my son Gage was crying and my wife was trying to comfort him.  I was in the process of getting a couple of photos of my other son Toby when I turned around and saw my wife.  It amazes me just how much love someone can express with their body language.  As I saw my wife holding Gage and soothing him I snapped the shutter.

My youngest son Gage has PKU (read about it here and here).  Sixteen months ago when he was born and we learned of his metobolic disorder it was a difficult thing to come to terms with.  An individual with PKU cannot eat the things that you or I can.  It requires a very limited diet for life.  He will never eat anything with any trace of protein in it and will only be able to eat a measured amount of some fruits and vegetables.  It will be something he’ll need to think about every day of his life.

My biggest concern about this hasn’t been the work or the change of patterns for us, but making sure he doesn’t feel isolated and alone.  So much of our society is based around food.  Family reunions, celebrations, parties, holidays, etc.  They all typically have big meals as their center.

To my other two kids, Gage isn’t any different, he just requires special food.  Last night we made PKU friendly tortillas for him to eat as we ate ours.  It was an event the whole family enjoyed.  Gage isn’t alone.