As a young child, I liked to eat. No, not food, but I liked to eat anything I could get my hands on. Of course I loved my cheerios and applesauce. For some reason, I also gravitated towards coins, Barbie shoes, and dog food; all sound extremely appetizing.

It all started when I began teething at only four months. As the new baby of the family, I was awarded with gifts from clothes, to bibs, bottles, and teething toys. I rejected everything and nothing appealed to me. However, my cousin Taylor’s Barbie’s grasped my attention. I did not want to play with them, but instead I believed the colorful clothes and shoes were edible. To my luck, I never choked on a Barbie shoe! However, my parents found it difficult when my choice of food shifted from mush, to plastic. Not only did I eat Barbie shoes, but I also ate any accessory that came with the dolls. My parents made it clear to family members not to buy me any presents consisting of small parts I could choke on. Basically, if I received any presents with the “Hazard” sticker, they went right back to the store. Nothing could get past me! I noticed my pugs would leave food in their bowls everyday. I started to steal the dog food; that’s gross, right?

Now that I think about it, I am stunned I ate everything in my sight as a kid and never choked. I was invincible! However, my luck ran out at the age of four. Family gatherings normally took place at my house, considering my mother was the only female willing to cook and clean. On a normal weekend in 2003, twenty family members were crammed in my den watching my parents’ wedding video. My mom kept candy dishes around the house, and she was only able to now because I was no longer teething. In the middle of our family activities, I walked my little body over to the candy dish and unwrapped a lifesaver. Anyone would think the name would do the candy justice. Instead, the name of the candy did not fit it well. As I made my way back to the couch and went to talk with the lifesaver in my mouth, my airway became blocked. I was, ironically, choking on a lifesaver! My mom grabbed me and ran to the telephone. I vaguely remember an ambulance in my driveway, but I never got into it. My mom tried sticking her fingers down my throat to grab it, only making it deeper; way to go mom. Thankfully, the lifesaver went down my throat as I drank chocolate milk from a Sippy cup. After that near death experience, I highly considered returning to my Barbie shoe diet.