RHOC's Emily Simpson Details 10-Year-Old Son's Rare Eating Disorder
Emily Simpson is facing an unexpected hurdle as a parent.
The Real Housewives of Orange County star shared that her 10-year-old son Luke suffers from a rare eating disorder that is affecting his health.
"Luke has always been a picky eater, but it's gotten to a point, I would say in the last year, where he just doesn't eat at all," the Bravolebrity shared in a confessional during the series' season 19 premiere on July 10. "Two months ago, I took Luke to a therapist. She told me he definitely has ARFID, which stands for avoidance/restrictive food intake disorder."
Emily—who is also mom to daughter Annabelle, 12, and Luke's twin Keller with husband of 15 years Shane Simpson—went on to explain how Luke senses food much differently than the average person.
"The nutritionist was explaining to me he doesn't understand when he feels hungry," the 49-year-old explained to Shane during an emotional chat. "Food in general disgusts him. She also asked me, 'Is he very susceptible to smells?' and I said, 'Yeah. Like, we'll walk into somebody's house and he'll be like, "It stinks in here." And I'm like, 'You can't say that.'"
However, Emily added, "But we have to be more accommodating and lenient when it comes to him because he doesn't process the idea of eating like we do."
While Luke simply never craves food, his lack of appetite was understandably concerning as Emily noted he's not growing at the rate he should be.
"The problem with him not eating anything is that I know he gets low energy," the former lawyer recounted. "It affects his mood, but then he doesn't make that connection."
But being so young, Luke still didn't understand the cause of his food aversion.
"I do worry about Luke because I say, 'Do you want this?' 'No. Mom, I'm starving,'" Emily reflected in a confessional. "'Do you want this?' 'No, no!' What do I do? I don't know what to do. He doesn't eat anything, but he's starving."
Emily then got emotional thinking about how Luke's ARFID could have long-lasting negative effects on him.
"I'm worried that he's not getting the nutrition he needs," the star noted. "I'm worried that he's the weird kid at school who doesn't eat and everybody's going to make fun of him. I want my child to be happy."
However, later in the episode, Emily revealed Luke's ARFID diagnosis could be a sign that he has another behavioral disorder.
"Luke maybe has autism," she confided in BFF Gina Kirschenheiter before breaking down in tears. "The therapist told me that the eating disorder is very common with the autism. He has to go to a specialist and test intense testing. Basically, what we learn from that is where he lies."
She added, "I felt like the worst mom because I'm like, 'There's all these things.' Like, sound bothers him, smells bother him, textures bother him. And it's like, 'Did I just ignore them?'"
See Emily's emotional journey continue when The Real Housewives of Orange County airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. on Bravo. In the meantime, keep reading to learn more about season 19.
With her ex finally in the rear-view mirror, Shannon Storms Beador is bouncing back stronger than ever. Single and selectively ready to mingle, Shannon has been spotted around Orange County having fun and being dubbed the “Kissing Bandit of Corona Del Mar.” After taking one step forward with Tamra at the reunion, their rollercoaster relationship continues to take more steps backward. Shannon’s newfound friendship with Katie catches everyone by surprise until a revelation threatens the group dynamics to the point of no return.
Heather Dubrow is living her best penthouse life, but in Orange County she finds her role as peacekeeper challenged, along with her friendship with Tamra. Always striving to be the best mom to her children, she continues to provide guidance through their milestones and show support for the LGBTQ+ community.
Tamra Judge finds herself in an emotional place as she unlocks past trauma in therapy, prepares for daughter Sophia to leave the nest and navigates her very close friend and confidant’s cancer diagnosis. With a desire to change her explosive reactions to charged situations, Tamra navigates shifting friendships within the group, but runs into the ultimate test when Gretchen Rossi returns to deal with some unfinished business.
Emily Simpson takes on one of the biggest challenges of her life when one of her sons is diagnosed with a rare medical condition. Emotionally drained, Emily has a hard time making the space to mend things with Katie after losing her trust last season. Emily’s loyalty is tested when her friend Gretchen enters the group and causes issues with her friendship with Tamra.
After a 12-year hiatus, Gretchen Rossi makes her return to the group through new friends Jennifer and Katie, but she finds herself stuck dealing with the same old issues with Tamra. Their problems get amplified when a new story from an unlikely source causes a chain reaction forever shifting the dynamics of the friend group.
Gina Kirschenheiter has a new perspective on life and takes a big step forward in her relationship with Travis as they move back in together. After ex-husband Matt suffers a heart attack, Gina embraces living in the moment. In the friend group, she sets her sights on exposing lies and righting the wrongs.
With the chatter and rumors now behind them, Jennifer Pedranti and fiancé Ryan start to plan the bikini-clad wedding of their dreams while also preparing to send off her son to the Marines. While Jennifer has a lot to unpack with Tamra, she finds camaraderie with gal pal Gretchen and deepens her relationships with Shannon and Heather. When rumors come to light and shake the group to its core, Jennifer is torn between loyalty and truth.
Recently moved into a new house in Newport Beach, Katie Ginella continues her strong friendship with Jennifer and starts to form a connection with Gretchen. She quickly realizes she isn’t on solid ground as her friendships start to deteriorate and finds herself backed into several corners. Katie’s apology tour morphs into an uphill battle when all of her actions and motives are questioned.
(E! and Bravo are both part of the NBCUniversal family)
eonline
