When Kristin Meyer’s son Camden was two years old, he had a feeding tube inserted to make sure that he could get the nutrition he needed to survive and thrive.
To help Camden and his three brothers to understand the tube, Meyer embraced the term "super tubie," which is a term the pediatric medical community uses to refer to kids with feeding tubes.
This also gave Meyer an idea.
“There really are not very many books where kids who have differences or disabilities or any medical conditions are the heroes. They might be in some books but they’re always in the background or on the sideline. And we thought, how cool would it be if we created a book where these kids are the heroes, they’re front and center, and they’re the ones that are saving the day," she says.
During this Talk of Iowa interview, host Charity Nebbe talks with Meyer about her new children’s book The Adventures of Team Super Tubie, which features Camden and two other super tubies fighting fires, battling dragons, and capturing bank thieves.
“Part of the reason we wrote this book is that we want all kids to embrace their differences, and for Camden to not be afraid of his feeding tube or not be ashamed of it but rather be proud of it. And using that term and making the book— that’s really what we want kids to be feeling.”