While planning his wedding, one man is facing a difficult decision about what is traditionally supposed to be a day surrounded by family and friends.
Battling guilt and confusion about his choice, the groom decided to share his story on Reddit’s “True Off My Chest” subreddit — an online space where folks can talk about the things that are weighing on their minds and hearts.
A man shared that his brother was diagnosed with a eating disorder as an adult.
The post began with the man revealing that his brother developed an eating disorder.
“For anyone who doesn’t know, pica is an eating disorder that causes people to eat things that are not food like rocks, drywall, chalk, nails, plastic etc.”
“He developed it as an adult and he refuses to see a doctor or have treatment.”
As you can imagine, this disorder doesn’t fare well at an event with a meal involved. So, the groom was worried about what his brother might do at the wedding.
His parents were trying to pressure him into changing all of his wedding decorations so his brother could attend.
“My parents say if I avoid having the things he eats at my wedding he’ll be able to go without being disruptive,” he wrote.
“So no flowers, no paper, no lace on the bride’s veil, no plants in soil for our centerpieces.”
Basically, all of the main ingredients that make up the decorations for the wedding would have to be tossed out.
“There are other things (like my brother will eat rocks) but these are the main ones.”
For folks who have never heard of the disorder, they might recognize it from a popular television show called “My Strange Addiction.”
Many of the people featured on the show had some form of pica.
The groom refused to change anything about his wedding.
He didn’t want to upset his wife by not allowing her to have the decor she wanted.
“I’m not changing my wedding for a 35-year-old man who likes to eat dirt,” he wrote, “It’s not my problem no matter what my parents say.”
“I’m sure as hell not telling my fiance she can’t have flowers or can’t wear the veil she wants.”
The frustrated brother may not be particularly empathetic towards his sibling’s disorder in this post — he doesn’t appear to acknowledge that his brother needs treatment and is likely as upset about his illness as anyone else.
However, without knowing the full extent of the situation or knowing what the Reddit user has been through to get to this difficult decision, we have to be sympathetic toward a groom who just wants his wedding day to go according to plan.
He even acknowledges that his post is just an attempt to let off some steam.
“Just complaining and venting because it has been a very trying time dealing with my parents on this.”
One user recommended a remedy for the disorder, “I had a coworker with this problem and she finally went to the doctor.”
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“Turns out her iron was dangerously low,” they wrote.
“Once she began taking prescription supplements, the issue went away. Might be worth looking into.”
“As someone with pica, your brother can absolutely just bring his own chalk to munch on,” wrote a second.
“He could chew on crushed ice while he’s there and be fine,” they continued. “If not, he’s being disruptive on purpose.”
Taylor Haynes is a writer based in Chicago. She covers entertainment, news and human interest stories at YourTango. You can find her on Instagram here.
