A DOTING mum has shown the heartwarming way her son with cerebral palsy can enjoy eating advent calendar chocolates whilst using a feeding tube.
Emily Heaton captured a video showing how she prepares the festive treats for 10-year-old AJ so that he doesn’t miss out on the festive tradition like everyone else.
Footage shows the 29-year-old from Lancashire popping out the first chocolate of the season from AJ’s Milky Way advent calendar before dropping them into a measuring bottle.
She then pours Acti Leaf Oat Milk in alongside it before heating it in the microwave for 30 seconds.
Shaking the hot milk, Emily then pours the mixture into a feeding syringe before filling a second feeding syringe with cool water and carrying them both on a tray to AJ.
The caption: “A feeding tube doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy ‘normal’ things” is displayed across the screen as the camera pans around to see AJ excited by his treats.
AJ then shuffles around happily as Emily inserts the chocolate blend into his feeding tube and plants a kiss on his cheek.
Emily posted the touching video on TikTok last Friday where it has attracted over 2.3m views.
More than 277,000 viewers have liked the clip, while over 3,000 people have left comments about Emily’s efforts.
One said: “Oh, my days, this just came on my [For You Page]. My eyes started to water, he’s so lucky to have you.”
Another wrote: “This video has made my week. How beautiful it is to see how happy he is, he’s lucky to have you.”
A third commented: “Love it – exactly the same as everyone else, just a tiny bit different.”
A fourth added: “This made my day. I’m glad he can enjoy Christmas like everyone else.”
A fifth wrote: “Cuteness overload.”
Cerebral palsy is a lifelong condition that affects movement and coordination.
Many children with the condition may have trouble chewing or swallowing food as it can get lodged in the airways or lungs.
Tube feeding can be a great supplement for mealtimes as well as helping the child to grow quickly with the nutrients.
