Samuels 9th Diabetic Birthday

Dear diabetes,

9 years ago on the 15th March we officially met, you were a bit underhand though, you were around for a while without me noticing. That’s ok though, because I noticed you fairly quickly, you didn’t get a chance to get a firm hold on him and make him really poorly, or worse! He wasn’t yours to take! He was, and still is mine.

You arrived with baggage... low blood sugars, high blood sugars, ketones, blood testing, injections, insulin pumps and set changes. Let’s just take a moment to mention food... how many carbs? Are they slow release or fast? How much is on the plate? What if he decides not to eat it all? Don’t even get me started on pizza and pasta that requires a dual wave.

Then comes exercise, can he do it? Are his blood sugars too high? Too low? Does he need a snack first? What about after? It doesn’t stop.

Simple day to day life issues seem to really upset you. Growth spurts, hormones, too hot, too cold, exams, stress, anxiety, he can’t even go to sleep without me worrying that he won’t wake up, and don’t even talk to me about illness! That’s when you really don’t play fair!!

If all of that wasn’t enough what you then decided to do earlier this year was to inflict yourself into another one of my children! Samuel took this to heart but is extremely supportive of his sister.

So on the 15th March we celebrated his ‘diabetic birthday’ in 9 years we haven’t had a hospital admission. Samuel is excelling in school and does not let his diabetes get in the way. We celebrate that so far we are celebrating puberty and the chaos that it brings.

I am thankful for the online friendships that I have formed, passionate parents that fight for their children battling a condition that follows no rules. Let’s just keep going, and remember that ‘hope is in a cure’ x

- Emma