Tag: Undiagnosed T1D

There has been much happening in the arena of spreading awareness of the missed Diagnosis of type one diabetes; but it is not fast enough…..is it?  When I read of Tyson, my heart broke—-more needs to be done.  I will be presenting a fuller, more detailed, report next week on what has been happening.  But I have a resource for ANYONE WHO WANTS TO DO SOMETHING NOW—IMMEDIATELY.

IF YOU ARE ANGRY AT THIS, and many of you surely made it clear that you are—-are you mad enough to Just Don’t DO Nothing….are you mad enough to try to make a difference….NOW.

I have been fortunate to work with the National Association of School Nurses (NASN) recently and Donna, their Executive Director and Sarah, their Certified Diabetes Educator; have really embraced us working together to make a difference in this battle.  I was even given the opportunity to be a keynote speaker at their Annual National Conference to share the importance of what so many of us are trying to do.  The School Nurse attendees were overwhelmed at the information.

Recently NASN included in their weekly update, in the “Nurses Tool Box” section (sent out to 33,000 members) a letter.   A letter which nurses should send home with any child coming into their office with flu/virus like symptoms.  We can all help this effort by printing a few copies out and giving them to the school nurse in schools in your area.  (see the link below)

This letter will make a difference.

Present copies of this letter to your school nurse and ask them if they saw this National Association of School Nurse’s sanctioned letter to be sent home with any child with flu/virus like symptoms; and ask them to keep a few copies in their desk and to use them.  Again, make copies and hand them to any school in your area——this impact can be real and it can be immediate!!!!!!  Here is a copy of the letter:
NASN Document School Nurse Letter

If we all did this in the upcoming week, we would immediately reach hundreds of thousands of kids.  Imagine saving just one family the heartache of what so many know all too well.  Imagine saving one life.  How mad are you?  Are you mad enough?  What will you do?

I am a diabetes dad.

Please visit my Diabetes Dad FB Page and hit ‘like’.

I have stated it before and will state it again as long as there is breath in me; when Kycie, Reegan, and David passed away from undiagnosed T1D while in DKA (there is a link at the end of this story defining DKA)–they were not the first, and unfortunately they will not be the last.  This is not a topic that I enjoy writing about, but as many know—-it’s a driving force in any spare time I have.

David Irby was a teenager and I am going to copy and paste the exact opening from reports from the station that broke the news from KOLO News, the ABC affiliate in Reno, Nevada.
RENO, NV – The symptoms were just like the flu: sore throat, body aches, and nausea. But when Damonte Ranch High School senior Tyson Irby got sick a few weeks ago, he never got better. Within days he died of a disease no one knew he had. This wasn’t some mysterious disease, it was undiagnosed Type I Diabetes.

“He was just a great kid. High on life, just happy,” said Anthony Irby, Tyson’s father. “He was just full of life. He was happy, he was athletic. He just never seemed like he had bad days. Not a complainer.” 

Tyson Irby was a relatively healthy kid. He’d have your normal flu or cold every year, but who doesn’t? That’s why when he came down with flu-like symptoms last month, his parents thought nothing of it.

There are some fact-checking I still need to do in the story, and am checking on it presently.  But the result is the same.  Another child is gone because we did not know.  For those working on this subject matter, pass this story on to whoever you are working with…..there will be a swell of activity surrounding this story and it will slow down again.

I remind all of us, for as long as I have been working on this trying to make something happen, it will not be the last time and unless we all do something about it, the tide will not change.  DO NOT let this flurry of pain and anguish go without trying to do something.

<SIGH> This truly has to stop.

There are some people who are now doing things, if you are friends with them ask them what they are doing; they will share…..they are doing GREAT things to change this and you can too.  There is no monopoly on advocating this…..ask, get out there and do something with whomever you want.  If we do not do it, who on earth will.  If you need ideas, send me a message.

This is MORE THAN so sad, THIS IS SO AVOIDABLE.  People need to BE SURE they do not have T1D……..get involved, PLEASE.

I am a diabetes dad.

Please visit my Diabetes Dad FB Page and hit ‘like’.

DKA Defined