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By Lisa Puster
Type 1 Diabetes
Sadly, there are many illnesses,
diseases and disorders that can affect children. One of the most misunderstood diseases is Type 1 Diabetes, an autoimmune disease that occurs when the body’s immune system destroys the insulin-
producing cells of the pancreas and the body is no longer able to produce insulin. Type 1 (also known as juvenile diabetes) is usually diagnosed
before age 30, and most often
during the teen or adolescence years. Type 1 diabetics are dependent
on insulin for the rest of their life to stay alive. While the insulin is a lifesaver, it is not a cure and doesn’t prevent the horrible effects of the disease, including kidney failure, nerve damage, amputations, heart attack, stroke, pregnancy complications,
and even seizures or coma, if the blood sugar levels are too high or low. Type 1 cannot be controlled by diet, exercise or weight loss. Daily
doses of insulin are a necessity to replenish the insufficient levels of glucose in the body.
Christine Strickland shares the story
of her daughter Hannah’s battle with type 1 diabetes, a disease that will affect her for the rest of her life, unless a cure is found in her lifetime.
On December 7, 2007 our family’s lives changed forever. Our youngest daughter, who had just turned 5, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. For weeks leading up to the diagnosis, I had noticed Hannah had been eating
and drinking more than usual and was constantly hungry and thirsty. She was also tired all the time, but I thought that was because she had begun sleepwalking and wetting the bed at night. I would find her in the laundry room, downstairs... wetting all over the place.
One night, after a party where she had eaten lots of sweets and carbohydrates and drank sugary drinks, she came home looking especially pale and exhausted and so thirsty that she ended up guzzling two 16 oz. bottles of water. That night she ended up sleepwalking and wetting all night long.
The next morning I took her to the pediatrician who thought, at first, she might just be having night terrors or was traumatized by something, but went ahead and ordered blood work and a urine sample, just to be safe. The next day, I stopped by the pediatrician’s office to drop off the urine sample and while I was there, I asked if Hannah’s blood tests from the day before had come back. After about 15 minutes, I was informed the blood work had come back and that the doctor, who was at a different office, wanted to speak with me by phone right away. I knew right then that something
was seriously wrong. The  doctor informed me that Hannah had type 1 diabetes and that her blood sugar level was 500 (normal levels are in the 80 to 100 range). He instructed me to take her to Chippenham Hospital, immediately, to be admitted to the pediatric ICU unit, where she could receive the insulin treatment she needed.
Over the next several days, while in the hospital, my husband and I were taught how to prick Hannah’s finger to check her blood sugar and how to give insulin injections. It was all very overwhelming. We were more nervous bringing her home from the hospital with this diagnosis than when she was first born!
In April of 2008, we were very fortunate to be able to place Hannah on an insulin pump, which has helped us maintain some control. The insulin pump, which is connected to her body through an inset under her skin, allows us to infuse the insulin constantly instead of having to do multiple injections each day. Although, she no longer has to have insulin injections, we do have to prick her finger 10-12 times a day to manage her blood sugar. We also constantly have to monitor or measure every bite of food or drink she consumes to calculate the carbohydrates so that we can administer the correct amount of insulin. Despite our constant attention and monitoring, there are still times when her blood sugar will be too high or too low. It’s an on-going, constant battle that Hannah, and other type 1 diabetics, will fight for the rest of their lives, until a cure is found.
For more information on Type 1 Diabetes, participating in the annual Walk to Cure Diabetes at Byrd Park on September 20, 2009, volunteering or making a donation towards finding a cure, please visit www.jdrf.org.
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