NEWSBREAK: A Toddler Dies (T1?), a Mother Speaks; A News Story Just Wrong?

breaking_news1There is so much wrong with this story that I’m shaking as I write it. 

Be warned—-this is a very sad story.
http://www.cbs58.com/news/local-news/Mother-speaks-out-about-her-toddlers-death-210151081.html 

Shaking with anger; shaking with the fact that once again here we are with yet another child dying, at 20 months of age, and by all accounts it may very well be from type 1 diabetes (CBS 58 reports: The coroner’s report stated that Jame Franz’s blood sugar was 4 times the normal reading for a child that age).  Shaking because a mom, Crystal Franz, had no idea her child was ill.  She saw no signs.

The first reporter in the story states that the mother is speaking out because the coroner’s report says the child had an unusually high blood sugar number and the mother felt that her parental skills were being question.

What?

I called the station and tried to speak with anyone who was credited with this story and the station, CBS-News 58 in Wisconsin, stated that they had no record of Katie Hustad’s phone extension or that she worked there and I left a message for Laura Rodriquez.  Both were listed as writers of the story on the CBS-News 58 website.

I wanted to ask them where they were going with the questions they asked ‘speaking in length’ to the mom?

The mother of little James stated he seemed fine the morning of; and she is at a loss as to what could have taken him.

According to the report, “She admitted that James liked to try all types of food, including juice, chocolate and even diet soda. Franz, however, said that those foods were only given to him in small proportions and not frequently.” 

After running through this list of items the child would eat and/or drink; the reporter asked Crystal Franz; “Do you think the diet had anything to do with it (the death)?”  

Here we go again. 

Why is THAT question even in the reporting?

We have all heard the stories of children being taken to a doctor when flu-like symptoms appeared and no test was done to further investigate if type 1 diabetes was evident.  This story is an entirely new angle to these discussions; there seemed to have been no warning signs to the mom.  None.

Warning signs need to be known, if they are to be heeded.   How would this mom know what to look for; why should she feel blamed for anything—how would she even/ever know?

Her guilt will already be in the stratosphere for the rest of her life.

Is any one else tired of these stories??????……….I surely am. 

I am a diabetes dad.

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