Transforming Moments

Jacori’s Story


Gaining His Trust

At 2 ½ years of age, Jacori has already learned to speak English and Spanish. He loves playing golf, basketball, tennis and football with his dad and knows all about trains and dinosaurs.

Now he’s focusing his energies on learning to eat. A patient in Children’s Feeding Program, Jacori spent eight weeks in the day patient program before transitioning to weekly outpatient feeding therapy in January 2010.

In the fall of 2009, Jacori wasn’t even on the growth charts, recalled his mom, Jacqueline. He would scream just sitting in a highchair and would eat only tiny amounts of lemon sorbet and bean soup. Today Jacori is in the third to fifth percentile on the growth chart, is accepting new foods and is learning to feed himself.

In the Beginning

When Jacori was born, he appeared to be a healthy infant, but within a week, he developed reflux that made eating difficult. His parents, Jacqueline and Jerome, tried giving their son medication and different formulas to help, but his reflux and feeding challenges got progressively worse.

His reflux began causing him to aspirate, eventually eroding his esophagus. When he was four months old, Jacori had surgery to reinforce the opening into his stomach, which helped alleviate the pain of his reflux. After that procedure, he began using a feeding tube for the majority of his feedings. Although Jacori’s parents tried to introduce solid foods as he got older, his refusal to eat continued.

In July 2008, Jacori, who also has food allergies, came to Children’s Feeding Program but wasn’t able to make progress because of medical problems that required repeated hospitalizations. He returned as an outpatient in Sept. 2009 and began day patient treatment later that fall.

Children’s Feeding Program

Established in 1998, Children’s Feeding Program was designed to help children who have a medical, oral motor or behavioral issue that impacts their feeding or growth. The program’s interdisciplinary team of specialists includes a physician, nurse practitioner, dietitian, psychologist, and specially trained occupational and speech therapists. Treatment addresses medical, developmental, behavioral and oral-motor feeding issues along with family education, training and support.

The program’s intensive day treatment therapy is the only one of its kind in the area and one of less than 30 programs nationwide, said Mary Tognarelli, MS, RN, CPNP, CNA, Director of Children’s Feeding Program. The day program serves up to six patients at a time, many of whom come to Richmond from out of state. Three feeding sessions are provided five days a week for six to eight consecutive weeks at the Brook Road Hospital.

In 2008, Children’s Feeding Program served 35 patients through the day patient program and performed 4,137 outpatient visits. Last year the program served 33 day patients and performed 5,558 outpatient visits.

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