Jon Reiner was happily married with two children, living on Manhattan's Upper West Side, when a near-fatal medical crisis that resulted in emergency surgery threatened to take his life. He was sentenced to months of intravenous feeding that required him to abstain from eating anything, in order to give his digestive tract a rest. The medical commandment 'nothing by mouth' came to represent not only the prolonged food deprivation that would have a radical impact on Jon's relationship with food, but the intense and enduring effect it would have both on his emotional state, and his relationships with family and friends. Jon's vulnerability during this profoundly difficult time altered these relationships, but the amazing support he received deepened his understanding love, friendship, and community.
