Devyn was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes on July 12, 2010 at the age of 3½. She had been really thirsty, but I attributed it to the fact that I had just introduced her to lemonade and it was a hot summer. She also had a few accidents at naptime at daycare, which was very strange because she had been potty-trained well for over a year and never had accidents. Again, I thought there was a different reason – the daycare room was very cold, so maybe that was why she had to pee often. Her teachers also mentioned that she seemed tired and not herself.

I finally made the decision to take her to the doctor after four times in a 2-hour shopping trip she insisted that she had to go to the bathroom “right now, Mommy!” I did my research and was hoping that it was just a urinary tract infection, but in my heart I knew it was diabetes. My sister, AnneMarie, had been diagnosed when she was 12 and I remembered seeing her drink a lot of Gatorade and get up several times at night to pee, so think I knew it would be the same diagnosis. After Devyn was diagnosed, I remember crying because I felt so bad for getting frustrated with her for stalling at bedtime because she was thirsty and demanding to go the bathroom any time we were out.

We were told to go directly to the hospital, where we spent 3 days meeting with doctors, nurses, dieticians, learning how to care for her and count carbs. It broke my heart to see her cry when we had to prick her finger or give her a shot, knowing that she did not really understand what was going on. She was a trooper though! By the second day, she no longer cried and when it was time to leave, she wanted to stay because she had so much fun playing in the hospital playroom with her grandmas and getting gifts from our friends and family that came to visit.

After a year of shots, Devyn got an insulin pump (around the same time as her Aunt AnneMarie!), which has given her more freedom with eating and allowed her to live a little more “normal” life. She likes to read food labels, add up her carbs, show and teach her cousins and friends how to test her blood sugar and use her pump. Having a pump is not a cure, though! As parents, we are constantly dealing

with the stress of making sure she always has her diabetes supplies and low blood sugar snack; wondering how old she will be when we finally can allow her to sleep over at a friend’s house or even go to a party or a friend’s house without one of us around; planning for trips to Cedar Point or any place that has rollercoasters that can mess up her pump; wondering if something will happen while she is on the bus to or from school; wondering if the school and extended care she goes to next year will work with us as well as her current school or if it will be a struggle like when she was turned away from a private school; among many other concerns.

We are so grateful for the many people that have been there to support Devyn. Her endocrinologist, Dr. Watkins, is always so patient with all of my questions. The school nurse, Jill, is great at communicating with us and taking care of Devyn as if she were her own daughter. The extended care teachers at daycare have always allowed me to train them, even when they were scared. The entire staff at Little Shots camp has given Devyn a place to have fun without her parents hovering over her and allowed her to be around other kids that are just like her.

Even with all of this support though, type 1 diabetes is still difficult. Is not fun! It is time-consuming and demands attention to detail. There is no break from it. So, we have hope that someday there will be a cure for Type 1 Diabetes. For Devyn and AnneMarie and all others diagnosed with Type 1, we participate in the Breakthrough T1D Walk to Cure Diabetes. We are excited to see the day when Type 1 will be Type None!