Are You a Mom to a Young T1D?

Dear Mom (Dad’s Too),
I have a message for you.
You may not know me……you may have read something I may have had something to do with regrading diabetes…….you may not have read anything at all. In 1992, at the age of two, my little girl was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. I have stood in your shoes. I asked the same questions you ask every day since diagnosed. Questions you ask even today.

I asked if she would have a normal life in school? Would she date? Would she have friends? Could she go to parties? Could she trick or treat? Could she ever be allowed to go anywhere without me, or her mom? Would she get a driver’s license? Would kids make fun of her? Would she be embarrassed about her diabetes, and tell no one? Would she graduate college? Would she get a job? Would she do what she really wanted to do? Would she EVER meet the right person? Would she be looked upon as damaged goods? Would she ever get married? Would she ever have kids?

Let me start with the last question, first. I just found out that my daughter is pregnant. In July of this year she will give birth. She and he husband could not be happier, we are a close second on that happiness She just graduated with her FNP (Family Nurse Practitioner) and will open her own practice. Do you see the trend occurring? Her life was a simple philosophy, if she wanted to do it whatever it was, we not only encouraged her to do everything and anything she wanted, but helped map a roadway to get there.

We did not have the technology that is available today so yes, we worried about her dying in her sleep. People d today too but we had none of those tools back when. If needed….it was a pot of coffee and determination. We worried about her going so low in a place that we were not, that we thought she would lapse into a comma. We were frightened. We were scared. We knew little. We. Just. Did. Not. Know.

But we did know this.

Learn this mom. Learn it now. Learn it good. There is an equalizer to your child’s life ahead with diabetes. That equalizer is education. Learn everything you can about this disease. Social media is a good place to chat, but it is not the baseline for your education. There is no shortcut either. Read. Learn. Ask Questions. Ask again. Read again. Read more. Find out the correct answers from professionals.

Become a sponge. Absorb everything. Give your child every opportunity to forge the life they want. To conquer any mountain. When our daughter wanted something we figured out a way to say yes. Some times the only reason to say yes was that she asked; and we also knew when there were 30 other reasons why it may not have been such a good idea. But the one reason out weighed the other 30 each and every time, she wanted it, and there was no earthly reason to say no.

We also knew that she lives with a disease. And no matter what we could do, it may take her away from us. We could not do anything about that. But we knew that should that happened we would have to be able to look ourselves in the mirror and answer 2 questions: 1. Did we learn all we could to empower her; and 2. Did she live her life as she wanted. We did that.

After that we walked through life in God’s hands.
Even without diabetes, we all would have to live that way, wouldn’t we?

Then our son was also diagnosed at age 13 in 2009. And we learned all over again. Butt our kids are worth it, right. He was bought up on no boundaries as well,only his imagination. Two years ago, his company moved him to their corporate headquarters and he was one of the youngest person to ever be in his division.

No Boundaries.

In July my daughter will give birth to our grandchild. She has done every single thing in life she has wanted thus far. We know how blessed we are. We also know that there was much work by all of us to get here today. Your child will get there too. Kaitlyn said to all of us in an interview she did with a television news station years ago, “Diabetes is what I have………it is not who I am”. Amen little girl, Amen indeed.

And that same little girl who taught us years ago is the woman who will make us grandparents in July. Pretty cool…….huh?

Learn that mom reading this, your child’s world awaits.
I am a diabetes dad.
Please visit my Diabetes Dad FB Page and hit ‘like’.