Savouring our favourite food and drinks is something we all take for granted. But for a UK-based chef, the experience of tasting food has been an alien concept for many years. Loretta Harmes, a 31-year-old chef and resident of Dorset (UK), was diagnosed with a rare syndrome called Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) in the year 2015. As per a report in Sun UK, it is a rare condition which is a collection of thirteen disorders. The food that Harmes would eat could not get digested due to this syndrome, causing bloating and indigestion. For the past eight years, Harmes has not had a single solid meal and is fed directly through a tube that she wears for eighteen hours.
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The 31-year-old chef said that her doctors struggled for many years to understand what was wrong with her. Finally, when they got the answer that it was EDS, Harmes was relieved. "I was told the answer was a feeding tube, so liquid nutrients could go directly from a bag, through a hole in my chest and into my bloodstream, bypassing the gastrointestinal tract. It would mean I'd never eat or drink again and I'd wear it for 18 hours a day - but be in a lot less pain. As someone who loved food and cooking, it was tough, but I felt relieved finally knowing what was wrong with me," said Loretta Harmes to Sun UK.
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However, the UK chef has not let her condition come in the way of becoming a professional chef. Using her sense of touch and smell, she develops recipes and makes her family and friends taste the dishes she makes. Loretta Harmes even runs her own Instagram handle called @the.nil.by.mouth.foodie, where she posts some interesting recipes and all about her journey as a chef. As a disability educator, she has also started her own range of inspiring quotes printed on clothing.
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