ATLANTA — Thanksgiving will look a little different for one Atlanta family this year as a kindergartener prepares to enjoy his first holiday meal with a plate of food of his own.
Just a few months ago, Addison Mize’s diet consisted of only five foods. Now, after completing a specialized feeding program through Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, he is preparing to celebrate a milestone his family has been working toward.
At the beginning of the summer, Addison was admitted to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Scottish Rite Hospital for dehydration caused by norovirus. His limited diet was also preventing him from getting the vitamins and nutrients he needed to stay healthy.
Addison was later admitted to the Multidisciplinary Feeding Program at Marcus Autism Center, a subsidiary of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.
Over the next two and a half months, he worked closely with dietitians and therapists to expand the variety of foods he could eat.
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Addison graduated from the program on Aug. 21 and can now eat more foods than ever before.
For his mother, Mary Chase Mize, the progress has given the family something special to celebrate this Thanksgiving.
“This year Thanksgiving will feel different because for the first time Addison will finally have a plate of food at the table...each food he eats feels like one step forward,” Mize said.
Kayla Scruse, Addison’s feeding specialist at Marcus Autism Center, says the program helps children improve their eating habits while providing families with support.
“Addison’s experience highlights the importance of the Multidisciplinary Feeding Program at Marcus Autism Center, which provides life-changing support to the children and their families in the area and beyond,” Scruse said.
“Our main goal is to help children develop a healthier, more positive relationship with food, improve their nutritional well-being, and give their families the tools and confidence to support them at home.”
This Thanksgiving will mark the first time Addison sits down at the family table with his own plate of food, a milestone that represents months of progress for the Mize family.
