Diabetes is a family disease

 

It all begins and ends with family. No matter what when you are faced with a diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes it becomes a disease the whole family has. You may not realize it at first with one parent taking on the brunt of the responsibility (In the case of a child being dx’d) But little by little your eyes open up to how much Diabetes affects the whole family.

I can only imagine the fear from Abigale who at 4 years old found her brother passed out from a low blood sugar and came to tell me. She still remembers it to this day and talks about it like it was yesterday. She then had to experience me holding her brother this past month, quickly trying to squirt icing into his mouth to recover from a low blood sugar.

Just today our 4 year old asked if she was supposed to squirt icing into Clifford’s mouth if he were laying down and not talking. She has never been talked to about this, it’s just what she has picked up from living in a family with D.

Eric on two occasions has shown how much he has learned as well. When grocery shopping he asked about the carb count in fruit snacks to make sure Clifford could eat them. And recently I heard them playing and he stopped and asked Clifford “Are you okay, because you’re talking really fast” Which prompted me to have him test himself and low and behold he was in the 60s.

It’s little by little you see how Diabetes affects the entire family. It’s not just a disease that one has to suffer with on their own. In our family we are there helping each other along the way. The way I see the kids caring about how Clifford is feeling, and Eric waiting to eat until Clifford boluses, I can tell as they grow up together it will be a united team in helping to make sure he’s safe and healthy everywhere he goes.

And to go even a step further when you are a member of the DOC (Diabetic Online Community) you have a family there to support and help you at all hours. All around the world, it’s a family disease.