“Yesterday, both my Grandma Janet and my Grandma Paquita passed away.”
Emily Simpson is opening up about her son’s recent diagnosis.
The 49-year-old “Real Housewives of Orange County” star shares three kids — twin sons Luke and Keller, 10, and daughter Annabelle, 12 — with her husband Shane Simpson.
In an interview with People, published July 10, Emily Simpson revealed that one of her sons, Luke, was diagnosed with an eating disorder.
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“He only eats a few different foods and he's very overwhelmed by texture, color, smells. He will only eat white rice. And he has to inspect each piece of rice before he eats it,” she says of his eating habits.
“So it's beyond picky eating. A lot of control issues. It's very overwhelming,” she adds.
Emily Simpson went on to reveal that her son was diagnosed with Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder, also known as ARFID.
According to the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA), “a person with ARFID has a diet that is so limited it leads to medical, nutritional, and/or psychosocial problems.”
Unlike other food disorders, ARFID isn’t tied to a person’s shape, size, weight or appearance. Instead, it’s fueled by a lack of interest, sensory sensitivity and/or a fear of aversive consequences, per the NEDA.
In her interview with People, Emily Simpson said her and her husband are still learning how to navigate it.
“There were so many times when he would say he was starving… because he was starving. But he would refuse to eat. And as a mom, that was so frustrating,” she explained.
“I didn't know what to do because on one hand he's crying and telling me he's starving, and on the other hand, he refuses to eat anything that I offer,” she continues. “Every day is challenging.”
ARFID is a newer diagnosis in the DSM-5, meaning information on the disorder is scarce and pending further research.
Symptoms include significant weight loss, lethargy, dizziness, muscle weakness and behavioral changes, such as lack of appetite, refusal to eat, picky eating, and fear of choking, per the Cleveland Clinic.
Emily Simpson expresses concern over her son at school
Emily Simpson said her son was doing “a lot better now” after working with a therapist and nutritionist.
She also admitted that she has to constantly remind herself that her son “doesn’t operate neurologically like we do.”
"I try to put myself in his shoes and in his head, and for him, everything is different than the way we see it,” she explained.
But her optimism can only go so far.
The reality star is especially worried about her son’s return to school, which she hopes isn’t met with unwanted attention from kids and parents who watched the newest season of RHOC.
According to People, Emily Simpson is open about her family’s struggle with ARFID on the show and hopes sharing her experience helps other parents.
“I think it's such a great platform to have sometimes because I feel so lost, and there's people out there that have gone through it and have kids that are probably exactly like Luke,” she told the outlet.
“They’ll reach out to me and I look forward to that because I learn so much from our audience,” she added.
As for her advice to other parents, Emily Simpson says to listen to your mother instincts.
“I would say anytime you notice anything or something feels off — because moms, we have this intuition — I think you should just reach out,” she said, encouraging her fans to see a doctor or therapist.
“The more help you can get and the more answers you can get, the better you'll navigate parenthood,” she added.
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In addition to her three kids, Emily Simpson is a stepmom to Shane Simpson’s two older kids — Chanel, 19, and Shelby, 24 — from his first marriage.
