What do the siblings think?
Do they hurt for their brother or sister? Do they care? Do they not deal with the diagnosis of diabetes?
We make so much of what happens in when a child is diagnosed. It changes our lives. It turns a household upside down. But alone, in the corner of their room; the brother and/or sister is sitting on their bed taking it all in.
What are they thinking?
It does not matter if they are age six or twenty-six; their lives have just been changed. They sit on their bed, they look around the room. Perhaps they sigh. They think.
It becomes lonely I’m sure, a bit scary too.
For the first few days there is much activity, there are a zillion phone calls coming and going; being carted away to babysitters, babysitters arriving; or a grand parent coming to help out……and of course, there is just that room. Even harder still, if the room is shared with the one going through the diagnosis.
The silence at night is deafening to the brother and sister who try to figure it all out.
Can you feel this? They may still be experiencing it years after diagnosis; make sure you include them. Make sure you give them the extra bit of attention they may need; even today.
Because it’s lonely in their room, still.
I am a diabetes dad.
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2 replies on “Someone is Sitting, Alone in Their Room; Thinking. DO NOT FORGET Them.”
Hello,
My name is Savannah Owens and I deeply appreciated this post. When I was five years old my twin sister, Haley was diagnosed with type 1. When I was 15 years old my little sister, Paige was diagnosed with type 1 at the age of two. Though I do not have this disease, type 1 diabetes has greatly shaped who I am as a person. I am 18 now and can recognize both the positive and the negative effects that this disease has had on my character. I can attribute much of my wellbeing to my Mom, Denise who through each diagnosis made an effort to put me first. It is extremely important to factor in the siblings because they too, have been affected by type 1 forever.
This post has moved me. My son is 8 years older than my T1D daughter. I have never thought about his feelings in this way before. He has been there for everything his sister needs. He has never complained about T1D. My wife and I are confident that he could take care of any situation that may arise. In short, he had been a rock. With that said, he is still a young teen. Puberty is changing his body and mind on a daily basis. How does he feel on the inside? What is he suppressing so that we are not worried about him? I am going to ask him about all of this tonight.
Thank you,
Another Diabetes Dad