Young advocate, Sophia, discusses the importance of healthy school meals for all

Healthy school meals for all impacts youth across Maryland and their families. Our young advocate and heart health survivor, Sophia, wrote a blog discussing why she believes we need healthy school meals for all.

“My name is Sophia and I am a young American living with rheumatic heart disease. When I was 12, my pediatrician heard a heart murmur and sent me to cardiology to determine if it had an underlying cause to it. When my doctor first brought up rheumatic heart disease to me, neither me nor my family had ever heard about that condition before. At the start of high school, I began to develop symptoms and began to understand the burden of having rheumatic heart disease. There were days that it was difficult for me to be able to do the things that I used to take for granted, such as school, sports, or socializing with my friends. I had to consider how factors, such as my nutrition, affected my health with heart disease. These are things that I didn’t give a second thought about before.

As a student with heart disease, my energy levels fluctuate significantly throughout the day. I have to balance my courseload, which consists of five AP classes, my social life, and my extracurriculars, such as being a part of a swim team, as well as managing my heart condition. My swim coaches always emphasize the importance of eating well throughout the day so that we have enough energy at practice because what we eat and when we are able to eat heavily influence our productivity. I am incredibly privileged to not have to worry about whether or not I would have access to nutritious meals that would adequately support my lifestyle. However, I know that many students cannot say the same.

Food insecurity places an additional burden on students with busy schedules, especially if those students are also battling a chronic illness that depletes their energy levels. For me, if excessive amounts of time passes between meals, I struggle to stay focused and get tired much quickly. This can make it harder for me to complete my homework or exercise if I forget to eat.

At my school, many people receive school lunches on a regular basis. This means that for them, the content and quality of food is important because it makes up a large portion of their weekly nutrition. We are very fortunate that our school district currently provides free breakfast and lunch for all students. This has been beneficial not only for students facing food insecurity, but also for all students who rely on school lunch since they do not have to worry about whether or not they have enough money with them to buy lunch. I know that many students at my school would not eat lunch if there were no readily available or accessible meals, whether it be because they are facing financial difficulties or forgot to bring lunch on a particular day. Not having accessible lunch hurts all students, and prevents them from performing at their highest potential on their schoolwork and extracurriculars.

Every student, especially those who are also chronically ill, deserves to be able to learn and grow in an environment where food is not a concern for them. Because of my experiences with heart disease, I understand how important having these supports are for students like me.

Living with heart disease has motivated me to advocate for policy that will allow people to have the tools to lead healthier lives because I know the impact that these laws have on students like me with health issues.”