Kids are braver than we give them credit for. A video starring Jaxon Green, a tube-fed boy from Tamaqua, Pennsylvania, proves that. In the video, the 9-year-old Jaxon shares the screen with Sesame Street’s Elmo and celebrates tube feeding, showcasing that it is okay to eat differently. The video makes other kids like him feel seen and heard.
Jaxon was born with Eagle-Barrette syndrome, which had him go through a kidney transplant, and at 6 months old, start peritoneal dialysis, helping remove the waste from the blood as a treatment for kidney failure.
“Between the toxins that build up in your system and the fact that you have all this extra fluid on your abdomen, kids aren’t hungry or kids don’t like the taste of food. So Jaxon only ate from about 4 months to 6 months, and then he just started refusing food,” says Jaxon’s mother, Amy, in a talk with People.
To spread awareness and break the silence on a condition that is rarely spoken about or represented on television, Nestle Compleat, a trailblazer in tube feeding nutrition, and Sesame Workshop, the ingenious mind behind some of the most beloved children’s programs, teamed up for a campaign. Together, they created the first-ever song on tube feeding, starring Elmo, the red, furry, and curious Muppet. The title of the song is “What Is Better Than How.”
The video shows Elmo visiting real-life families and observing their mealtime routines, only to understand that in every household, mealtime is different and special. Some kids eat with a fork or spoon, and some through a feeding tube.
It serves a big purpose: to celebrate and acknowledge kids who use feeding tubes and families that support and love them unconditionally. This song is perfect and wholesome for making kids feel confident in themselves as they go on to take new challenges in life despite their condition.
As Parents notes, thousands of people in the United States are being tube-fed. They feel misunderstood and invisible. But with this video, things can change, showing every kid for who they are, and not defined by how they eat.
The video gets even sweeter when Elmo comforts Jaxon by saying, “No matter how you eat, Elmo loves you.” As for Jaxon, the only reason he stars in the video is to show those who make fun of him that it’s okay.
No matter how many kids bully him or think he is different, Jaxon is a jolly, strong, and energetic kid. He loves going to school and playing sports. Jaxon’s mother believes that this video can help shatter the preconception that feeding tubes make you fragile, when in reality, with ample love and support, it can make you stronger. If you feel a little different today, may this story of Jaxon and so many other tube-fed kids give you courage and remind you that it’s okay to be different.
