Tubie Talks Melanie Dimmitt

She's got a G-tube, J-tube, TPN and half a million social media followers. Meet Steph Kelly,  a Sydney nurse who's built a colossal community by candidly sharing what it's like to live with feeding tubes, frequent hospital stays and a lengthy list of conditions – including hyper-mobile Ehlers Danlos syndrome, POTS, and serious heart issues – all while leading a full, and often very fun life.

Come behind the scenes of Steph’s viral posts as I spend a morning with this incredible advocate. And that's a wrap for season one of Tubie Talks!  
 
You can read an interview with Steph in Issue Three of THE BLEND magazine: theblendmag.com/issue-2-1-1

Follow Steph's TikTok account here: tiktok.com/@stephkkelly

Follow Steph's instagram account here: instagram.com/stephkkelly

Tubie Talks is brought to you by the team at InterMed Medical, who supply an extensive range of very useful Medicina products: amslmedical.com.au

It's produced, edited and hosted by Melanie Dimmitt: melaniedimmitt.com.au

Sound engineering by Ash Ball at PEOPLEwho: thesepeoplewho.com

The Tubie Talks podcast cover art is designed by Kathryn Lean: etsy.com/shop/KathrynLean

Want more tubie stories? Read THE BLEND tube-feeding magazine: theblendmag.com

This is a story about a girl called Riley. One of four sisters who, along with mum, Grecian, and dad, Justin, enjoys drawing, outdoor adventures and ice-cream treats in her sunny home of Perth, tube-feeding all the way.

Join me as I chat with this charming six-year-old and her family, along with her school principal, who has personally mastered the art of schooltime tube-feeds, and her new support worker, who also happens to have a feeding tube.

You can read an interview with Grecian in Issue Three of THE BLEND magazine: theblendmag.com/issue-2-1-1

Follow Grecian’s instagram account here: instagram.com/growing_our_tribe

Tubie Talks is brought to you by the team at InterMed Medical, who supply an extensive range of very useful Medicina products: amslmedical.com.au

It's produced, edited and hosted by Melanie Dimmitt: melaniedimmitt.com.au

Sound engineering by Ash Ball at PEOPLEwho: thesepeoplewho.com

The Tubie Talks podcast cover art is designed by Kathryn Lean: etsy.com/shop/KathrynLean

Want more tubie stories? Read THE BLEND tube-feeding magazine: theblendmag.com

She blends up cheese platters with wine, pours espressos down her feeding-tube and calls Spotlight "the mothership".  Meet Kym Adams, a Brisbane local with a wicked sense of humour and, as her friend Skubi puts it, "mad crafting skills".

In this episode, Kym and I spend a day at the Wholesome Blends office (is that a cameo from founder Sarah Thomas, we hear?) and chat about how she found her way back to a full and fun life after her cancer treatment resulted in the need for a feeding tube.     

Find the cookbook that Kym helped put together, Sarah Thomas’ Blended: wholesomeblends.com.au/products/blended-sharing-recipes-for-love-stories-for-life

Tubie Talks is brought to you by the team at InterMed Medical, who supply an extensive range of very useful Medicina products: amslmedical.com.au

It's produced, edited and hosted by Melanie Dimmitt: melaniedimmitt.com.au

Sound engineering by Ash Ball at PEOPLEwho: thesepeoplewho.com

The Tubie Talks podcast cover art is designed by Kathryn Lean: etsy.com/shop/KathrynLean

Want more tubie stories? Read THE BLEND tube-feeding magazine: theblendmag.com

Let’s visit Sydney’s sunny suburb of Gymea and spend a day with a charming almost-three-year-old and his family, shall we? Luke Joseph has been tube-feeding since the day he was born and while he kept his parents, Eliana and Michael, and many medical professionals guessing for 16 months, a super-rare genetic condition turned out to be why.

In this episode I encounter a dreamy tube-feeding supplies storage system (watch out Marie Kondo), a grandparent who has learned how to tube-feed (hi Kerry!) and an early learning centre where the educators are tube-feeding experts. You’ve gotta hear this to believe it.

Follow Luke’s mum, Eliana on Instagram: instagram.com/thetubiemum, instagram.com/thehandmadebabyboutique

You can read an interview with Eliana in Issue Two of THE BLEND magazine: theblendmag.com/issue-2-1

Tubie Talks is brought to you by the team at InterMed Medical, who supply an extensive range of very useful Medicina products: amslmedical.com.au

It's produced, edited and hosted by Melanie Dimmitt: melaniedimmitt.com.au

Sound engineering by Ash Ball at PEOPLEwho: thesepeoplewho.com

The Tubie Talks podcast cover art is designed by Kathryn Lean: etsy.com/shop/KathrynLean

Want more tubie stories? Read THE BLEND tube-feeding magazine: theblendmag.com

He’s got the body of '80s-era Arnold Schwarzenegger, making him the polar opposite of what most people expect when they think of a tube-feeder. Meet Pedro Relvas, a former professional bodybuilder and personal trainer who faced enormous health challenges with a mindset as strong as his muscles.

Tag along as I chat with Pedro and his family at their gym and home in Brisbane. You’re gonna love this guy – and can follow his story @wolfpepe on Instagram and @pedrorelvas on TikTok.

You can read an interview with Pedro in Issue Two of THE BLEND magazine: theblendmag.com/issue-2-1

Tubie Talks is brought to you by the team at InterMed Medical, who supply an extensive range of very useful Medicina products: amslmedical.com.au

It's produced, edited and hosted by Melanie Dimmitt: melaniedimmitt.com.au

Sound engineering by Ash Ball at PEOPLEwho: thesepeoplewho.com

The Tubie Talks podcast cover art is designed by Kathryn Lean: etsy.com/shop/KathrynLean

Want more tubie stories? Read THE BLEND tube-feeding magazine: theblendmag.com

Welcome to Tubie Talks, a podcast series celebrating the lives of people and families who tube-feed. I’m your host, author, journalist and tube-feeding parent, Melanie Dimmitt, and in this series I’ll be chatting with a vibrant mix of guests about how they go about this little-known, but no less worthy way of eating.

I’m starting  Tubie Talks close to home – quite literally – with my own family’s story. A few years ago my young son, Arlo, had a gastrostomy (G) tube inserted, was prescribed a diet of commercial formula and embarked on the worst few weeks of his life. Thankfully, the tube-feeding community came to our rescue with blended real food, the hero of Arlo’s story. 

Listen in to hear how Arlo and his family, friends and supporters found their tubie groove.

Tubie Talks is brought to you by the team at InterMed Medical, who supply an extensive range of very useful Medicina products: amslmedical.com.au

It's produced, edited and hosted by Melanie Dimmitt: melaniedimmitt.com.au

Sound engineering by Ash Ball at PEOPLEwho: thesepeoplewho.com

The Tubie Talks podcast cover art is designed by Kathryn Lean: etsy.com/shop/KathrynLean

Want more tubie stories? Read THE BLEND tube-feeding magazine: theblendmag.com