Corlan Gilfedder loves swimming, gaming and his support dog Rhys, who goes everywhere with him. Corlan has an eating disorder called ARFID, which means there’s not a lot he will eat. One thing he will eat, though, is HELL’s Chicken Tenders! Satan’s Little Helper saw an opportunity to help out…
Corlan was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder at two years old. Since then, he has also been diagnosed with Sensory Processing Disorder and a sensory eating disorder called ARFID, which stands for Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder. Corlan’s mum, Belinda, says his diet is very limited and it’s a struggle for her to get enough food into him – but there is one exception that caught the eye of Satan’s Little Helper. “It’s quite a feat trying to feed him every day, except on Saturdays, when it’s ‘Tendies Day’!” says Belinda. HELL’s Chicken Tenders, or ‘Tendies’ as Corlan and Belinda call them, are one food that he can’t get enough of! “He tried them once and now he won’t stop asking for them!” she says. “When he talks about them, he puts on a voice like he’s in a horror movie, he’s quite funny!” Satan’s Little Helper could see an opportunity to help Corlan out and has set him up with free ‘Tendies’ for a year! Belinda says Corlan is thrilled about it and loves crossing off the vouchers each week – and the impact has gone beyond just getting some food into him. Belinda involves him in the ordering process and can see his confidence growing. On top of what he already copes with, Corlan has very high anxiety, which is set off by being overstimulated or being away from home. His support dog Rhys helps regulate his anxiety and goes everywhere with him. “We go out and you can see that he’s struggling with the anxiety, but he’s really trying. I can only imagine what a battle it is for him every day,” says Belinda. “Rhys is a huge help and we are always trying to raise funds to keep the two of them together. “In the meantime, it’s great to see that Corlan is getting more used to going in to our local HELL store, which is really hard for him. So it’s not just about getting a free box of ‘Tendies’, it’s a bit bigger than that. It’s also about him going in and interacting.” What a great and unexpected outcome!
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