PRESS RELEASE:
SEVENTH ANNUAL FEEDING TUBE AWARENESS WEEK® FEBRUARY 5– 9, 2018
January, 2018
New York, NY– The Feeding Tube Awareness Foundation is celebrating its seventh annual Feeding Tube Awareness Week® from February 5 to 9, 2018. About half a million children and adults in the United States alone rely on feeding tubes, a number that is expected to increase. Feeding tubes are not just for those at the end of life, they provide necessary nutritional support for children to live, grow and thrive. There are well over 350 conditions and diseases that can require tube feeding in children.
In 2011, Feeding Tube Awareness launched the first annual Feeding Tube Awareness Week®. The mission of Awareness Week is to promote the positive benefits of feeding tubes as a lifesaving medical intervention. The week also serves to educate the broader public about the medical reasons that children are tube fed, the challenges that tube feeding families face, and day-to-day life with a child who is tube fed. The theme of the week in 2018 is “Fired Up About Nutrition” because feeding tubes make it possible for those unable to eat or drink enough on their own to get the nutrition and hydration they need for life.
In 2017, Feeding Tube Awareness Week reached several million through social media, blogs, websites, and traditional media stories featuring families who are tube feeding. We anticipate the reach to be far greater in 2018.
Feeding Tube Awareness Week® is supported by participating companies, organizations, and associations. The Oley Foundation is a partner organization for the week.
About Feeding Tube Awareness Foundation®
The Feeding Tube Awareness Foundation's mission is to raise awareness of tube feeding, to increase the visibility and acceptance of tube feeding in our communities, and to help parents get the practical knowledge and support they need. FTAF was founded in 2010 by parents of children who are tube fed with the goal of bringing together parents, healthcare companies, and clinical practitioners to help children grow and thrive in all aspects of their lives. The Feeding Tube Awareness Foundation’s Facebook page is the world’s largest online support group for tube feeding. It is a registered 501(c)(3) charity. This year's Feeding Tube Awareness Week will include a campaign geared to social media and other events. For more information, visit feedingtubeawarenessweek.org For more information on the organization or on pediatric tube feeding, please visit www.feedingtubeawareness.org
Contact:
Traci Nagy, Founder and Executive Director
Email – traci.nagy@feedingtubeawareness.org