When I had dysphagia and I just could not gulp pills

When I was a child, I had an issue called dysphagia. It means an issue generally swallowing, but I had a problem swallowing medicines. In my experience the more you run away from a matter, the more it comes down on you. So, I suffered from malaria (as a kid), and that too not once or twice, but multiple times while we stayed in Lagos. 

If I must associate certain keywords with our stay in Nigeria, it would be, a doll-like duplex house, tall banana trees, armed robbers, Ilupeju, Indian Language School (and my amazing friends) and malaria. For some strange reason, I suffered recurrent malaria. I had to repeatedly take quinine pills; god knows for many months. It may seem as if I am making a big deal for taking those innocent quinine capsules, but you must ask my mom and dad of the herculean task that it was. 

Some of the ways that this dysphagia kid tried:

• Guzzling down an entire bottle of water only to have the capsule sitting in my mouth
• In the most delicate manner, my mother opened the capsule and emptied the most bitter powder and mixed it with honey. I would still puke.
• My dad pushed it in my mouth, put water and kept my mouth shut till I swallowed it
• My mom fried bread and dipped it in sugar syrup as a post pill reward (she made a whole lot of other goodies as well) but the pill just would not go past my mouth 

Post our stint in Africa and years later, I had to take a zillion medicines and had no option but to learn the art. After all these years, I still have an issue swallowing gigantic pills. I do not have as much of a dysphagia trouble anymore. 

With this memory, I realized that a child may not retain every memory of their parents. Memories that are forever are times when folks (like mine) make sincere and serious efforts, take so much pain, and do everything in their power to support the craziness of their moppet.