A 17-year-old girl identified as Emma has revealed her struggle with Gastroparesis, a rare medical condition that has prevented her from ever eating a meal since birth.

Emma shared her experience in a TikTok video posted in July, which began trending on Monday under the username emmakok. In the clip, she explained that she has lived her entire life relying on feeding tubes for survival because her stomach does not function.

She said, “Hi, my name is Emma. I am 17 and I have a chronic illness called Gastroparesis. Gastroparesis simply means my stomach is paralyzed; it doesn’t work. Because my stomach is paralyzed, it can’t digest any food. Which also means I’m not able to eat any food, and that is why I have two feeding pumps.”

“These are the two; they’re for my intestines and stomach. I have had these two feeding pumps since I was a baby, so I have never eaten anything in my life.”

Although she can occasionally manage small amounts of honey, tea, or water, Emma disclosed that she has never eaten common foods like hamburgers, chocolate, or spaghetti.

“I can eat the tiniest bits like honey or a cup of tea or simply just some water but no, I have never eaten a hamburger or chocolate or spaghetti or anything. That makes it even harder because food is such a big thing in someone’s life.”

She also spoke about the challenges of living with a condition that remains relatively unknown, saying that patients are often dismissed or misunderstood in medical settings.

“Gastroparesis is not a well-known disease, and that makes it hard for us patients who have Gastroparesis. We’re not very well heard in hospitals but we have real symptoms. But the doctors call it anxiety or stress, and that makes us feel pretty stupid.”

Emma ended her video with a call for greater awareness of the condition.

“I am making this video to share this illness, to spread awareness, to be heard. So please just listen.”

According to the Cleveland Clinic, Gastroparesis is a condition that causes partial paralysis of the stomach. It is a functional disorder that affects the nerves and muscles responsible for digestion, making stomach contractions weaker and slower than normal. As a result, food remains in the stomach longer than it should, instead of moving smoothly into the intestines. (Nigerian Tribune)