My name is Gracie Gardner, and I’m 16 years old, living with Idiopathic Gastroparesis. Living with this disorder is definitely not easy to cope with. I’ve had a PICC line along with countless NJ tubes (Nasojejunal feeding tube) and several NG’s (nasogastric tube). One of the most difficult aspects of having life-sustaining tubes stuck to your face is that it comes with a constant fear of judgment. Would people make fun of me? Would they look at me like a complete outcast, or would they just treat me like a completely different person? Instead, they did the exact opposite. After my first day out and about with my tubes in, I quickly learned that the most important part of accepting my illness was for me to have confidence in myself— and that’s exactly what I did.
