Hit reply on this post and tell us in one sentence why the sibling of your child with diabetes is a hero. No voting on what is the best answer…..they ALL ARE THE BEST ANSWER.
So here we go; tell us what makes your child with diabetes’ sister or brother so FABULOUS…….and they surely are.
Please use first names and ages only.
I am a diabetes dad.
Please visit my Diabetes Dad FB Page and hit ‘like’.
26 replies on “Who is the Hero Brother or Sister in Your House?????”
Nicole, age 14, at Disney right now with her bro, age 12 (and their dad) keeping an eye on things and reminding him to test and helping count carbs. Hero – yep!
Hero—agreed. Thanks for writing
My 12year old son Connor stopped eating and drinking things his brother John can’t have. He wakes up every night at 2am to ask how his brothers Blood glucose is. When his brother had a melt down and refused to take his lantus Connor cleared out his bank and offered his brother $150 dollars. He said I love you, you are my brother and best friend and I need you. I have 2 heroes, they are John and Connor.
My t1d daughter Emilee, 16, is an only child. However, her cousin Kaitlin (my t1d sister’s daughter), is only 17mo older and is more like her sister than a cousin. She has always looked after her at/during school and participated in every extracurricular activity (cheer, softball, soccer) that Emilee wanted to do and signed up to be on the teams with her just so she would be there to look after her. She has been a true hero for Emilee.
Thanks for seeing past ‘the sibling’ and sharing about her wonderful cousin…..just perfect.
My oldest (T1D) is 5 and his younger brother is 3. The other night when it was time to change my 5 year old’s sight, he quietly said “I’m scared” and he asked his younger brother to hold his hand, which he gladly did….it really does affect everyone.
WOW—that put a lump right in my throat…..thanks for sharing
My t1d daughter Rachel’s Unsung Hero is her younger sister, Amy for being involved in band and sports with her at school; for helping me with the late night testing and juice/snack/water fetching, and for giving up one of her summers to participate in Drum Corps International with her in the Mandarins Drum Corps out of Sacramento, CA, travelling by bus all over the country between performances, sleeping on the ground, and being there for her lows/highs all tour.
Just teh words ‘being there’ say such volumes…….thanks for sharing about Lil’ Sis…..she sounds like a dream come true.
My middle son Ike is 11 (T1D). His older brother (15) has always gone above and beyond to make sure he’s got Ike’s back. He has learned how to give shots, test blood sugar and how to treat lows so that Ike can stay home with him when I’m running errands. I used to think it was because he wanted to help me out but soon learned it was mostly so he would have someone to compete against on the PS3! Ike’s little sister is 2 and she is already lifting up his shirt to check his pod with anything resembling a PDM. She even threw a fit the other night when she couldn’t have a pod too! 🙂
Just a whole ‘lotta great stuff’ in this post…..your kids sound like a fabulous team. Thanks for sharing about these wonderful heroes.
My daughter Ashleigh, age 19 yrs. is a hero to her brother (T1) age 16 yrs. She not only looks out for him physically (sharing in his care) but she is a strong advocate for Type 1 Diabetes. She has corrected and educated anyone, including her teachers and students in her classes about what type 1 diabetes is. She becomes a “Mother Bear” when it comes to protecting her younger brother from the ignorance that exists about T1 diabetes.
My nine year Old Brianna is a hero. She will let us know if her big brothers pump or cgm is alarming and she will check his blood.afterwwards to make sue he is okay! She even knows what is considered low n what’s high blood sugar and will let me know.
Aaron 12 (T1D), older sister Hannah 17. Hannah went in the ambulance when he was first diagnosed,10/2012, scarry stuff, she was with us for all of the training, learnt how to inject and how to carb count. Looks out for him at school, even went in with him to the dentist when he was scarred to go. Makes sure he has his diabetes kit on him when ever they go any where. She is a great and caring big sister.
ohhhhhhhhhh if only all the stroes were as fabulous as this one—-one very special big sister for sure.
My son, Nick, now 16 has struggled with a life threatening food allergy and since his younger sister’s dx with T1, he has had to take a back seat …but he is still her biggest fan whether she’s on stage or on the volleyball court.
On stage????? hmmmmmmm I remember those days. Glad she has a big fan.
My daughter Morgan, age 4, is a hero. The other day she got a plate of baby carrots out for a snack for her and her little brother, then she counted them and tried to figure out the carb count for him. He didn’t eat a single carrot but it makes me so proud to see her trying to take care of him.
There are so many stories that have made me smile over the years of younger kids ‘trying to act grown-up” when it comes to diabetes. Kids are special when they ‘do’ what we do.
Right from the start, I felt like big brother, Nathan (non- diabetic), was more affected by D than little brother who was 2 years younger (and diabetic). He’s never been able to put words to it but has always struggled because of the attention his brother gets but he doesn’t. He doesn’t want diabetes attention but there is some jealousy there nontheless. It’s always been a delicate balancing act – showing love to a diabetic and a non-diabetic child. And, it’s not easy growing up as the sibling of a diabetic… Hopefully they both know they are loved and special!
Your honesty and ‘directness’ was refreshing to read. Two very special young men methinks.
Josh, age 20, was there for Seth, 17, during those really scary days right after dx when we were afraid to leave a 16 year old home alone. Josh made sure it didn’t seem like he was babysitting, but just hanging out. It helped Seth retain most of his independence. Josh also does 3 am checks so mom and dad can get full(ish) night’s sleep on school nights.
Rachel, age 12, works side by side with her brother Frankie, T1D age 9, to raise awareness about diabetes where we live–presentations in schools, libraries, parades, and health fairs! She is her brother’s biggest advocate!
My youngest just turned 5 and shares a room with her T1 sister who is 10. She will come get me when the pump alarms because the sister sleeps through it and sometimes I don’t hear it at first (under the blankets it’s muffled). Such a good girl to hear and let us know so we can help her sister.
Tyler, now 14 and Dylan, now 11 are my true heroes! I wouldn’t be where I am now without their help for the last 6 years….Dylan has been testing Zach’s sugar for 5 of those years….even getting Zach to do his own! They watch out for him and really care about Zach’s needs even before their own. I can’t thank them enough!!
Perfect!!!!