Our G-Tube Emergency

“I think I pulled her G-tube out.”

The words came out of my mouth, and my soul had just left my body. Here is how that happened.

Feeding and weight gain had always been a struggle with little Trini. After a few appointments, the GI team suggested that a G-tube would help her grow and receive the necessary nutrition. She wasn’t even a year old when she underwent the procedure. But within weeks, she gained several pounds. I started calling her “Tank.” She was thriving—and I was loving it.

My ‘Genius’ Feeding Hack

At one point, I thought I had solved one of the biggest problems of all: how to keep her from tugging on the feeding pump tube during car rides. My genius idea? Wrap the tube around the car seat where the car seatbelt would normally go. It was out of sight and out of her tiny, curious hands. I felt like a rock star every time we got home; Trini was fed and ready to party.

The Tug That Changed Everything

One beautiful Saturday afternoon in February, we were headed to my friend’s daughter’s birthday party. Trini wasn’t going to eat at the party, so I fed her during the 20-minute drive using my tried-and-true car seat method.

When we arrived, I disconnected her from the feeding pump—but I forgot one very important thing. I left the G-tube extension attached and still wrapped around the car seat.

This was the moment my stomach dropped. 

I got caught up chatting and jokingly asking for a beer. Then I went to pull my chunky little Tank out of the car seat. At first tug, I felt some resistance. So naturally, I pulled harder. Trini was in my arms now, calm and content. But that’s when I saw it: part of the G-tube was dangling. That’s when it hit me- I never fully disconnected the G-tube.  I turned and said to her mom.

“I think I pulled her G-tube out.”

She didn’t believe me. Trini wasn’t crying. She looked fine. But then we lifted the blanket, and there it was. Her G-tube, fully dislodged, still connected to the car seat.

I kept the spare G-tube at home, in a “safe place,” instead of in the diaper bag like I should have. Rookie mistake!

We Were on the Clock

I remembered what the GI team told us:

“If the G-tube comes out, try to put it back in within 60 minutes before the hole closes.”

We were on the clock.

I turned to my friend Tommy and told him I had to go now. Ursula called Trini’s home nurse, asking if she could meet us at the house to help reinsert the tube.

The drive from D.C. back home is usually a nightmare. But somehow, by the grace of God, the traffic was clear. When we arrived at the military base, I told the security guard about what had happened.

“I pulled my daughter’s G-tube. I need to speed home.”

Without hesitation, he said, “Turn on your hazards. Don’t stop. If a cop tries to pull you over, don’t. Just keep going. You can explain everything once you’re home.”

We were flying with the hazards on. Ten minutes from home, we got stuck behind a car driving the speed limit. I rode his bumper with the hazards flashing, and he finally moved over. He must have known something was wrong. We pulled up to the house. He circled back to check on us as we sprinted inside, carrying a baby wrapped in a blanket.

Panic Sets In

Now, 45 minutes had passed. We were struggling to reinsert the G-tube. Panic set in. We were preparing to call 911.

To top it all off, I was flying out to San Diego the next morning for military training. Then anxiety hit. The thought of calling my leadership and telling them I was heading to the ER meant I wouldn’t be flying out the next day. Not how I wanted to spend the weekend.

The ambulance arrived. We started explaining everything, preparing for an ER trip. But then…

From Trini’s room, we heard:

“I GOT IT!”

Ms. Aubrey, the nurse, had successfully reinserted the G-tube—just after the 60-minute mark. And Trini? Cool as a cucumber.

Crisis averted. No ER. No missed flight. No awkward call to supervisors. 

The Lesson I Didn’t Expect

That day, I learned something I wasn’t expecting: how to stay calm when everything inside you wants to panic. I thought I was the one who was supposed to teach Trini. But at that moment, she was teaching me. About patience. About faith. About grace under pressure.

Since then, I’ve carried that lesson into every situation:

It’s okay to panic for a moment. But then you breathe.

You think.

You trust.

Because He is in control. Always.