Riding Pirates of the Caribbean, eating churros, and conquering the Incredicoaster were at the top of our agenda for our pre-Thanksgiving Disneyland trip in November 2024. Type 1 diabetes (T1D) was not.
During the trip, Hannah’s constant thirst and frequent bathroom stops didn’t seem alarming at first. On the drive home, my friend Katie, whose son has T1D, had a hunch and asked me to check Hannah’s ketones. The result was dangerously high, and we went straight to Phoenix Children’s Hospital. Katie was right. Hannah was diagnosed with T1D.
We spent three days in the hospital stabilizing Hannah’s blood sugar while learning how to manage a disease we knew very little about. We were discharged on Thanksgiving with a bag full of medical supplies and a lot of uncertainty. The following weeks were overwhelming, waking up at night to check blood sugar, counting carbs, and calculating insulin doses.
During that time, I leaned heavily on Katie, my “Diabetes Hotline,” and on the support of others who
understood life with T1D. One of those connections led us to Breakthrough T1D. Hannah found a community of kids who truly understood what she was going through and made us feel far less alone.
Since then, Hannah has attended camp, made lifelong friends, and joined the Breakthrough T1D Youth Ambassador program. I’ve also gotten involved through fundraising and awareness efforts like the Breakthrough T1D Walk, realizing that participation is one way to take back a small sense of control from a disease that doesn’t offer much of it.
Because of the Breakthrough T1D Walk, we’ve seen advances in continuous glucose monitors, insulin pumps, and people are now producing insulin on their own!
I encourage you to join this community so you too can experience incredible support and make a difference in the lives of your loved ones, and everyone impacted by T1D.
I invite you to join us on this journey. Join the Breakthrough T1D Walk on April 18th, and let’s make a difference together!
Sincerely,
Rebecca
Sign up your team and find more information about Breakthrough T1D Walk at Walk.BreakthroughT1D.org/Arizona