Everyone living with T1D has, at one time or another, relied on assistance from family, friends, teachers, coworkers, or even kind strangers. Whether it’s calculating carbs, dealing with a high or low, or looking for a little encouragement, sometimes you need help from others to get through it. For kids, that’s especially true. Parents of children with T1D are a constant support system and they depend on extended family, friends, teachers, coaches…everyone in their child’s life, to step in and help when they are not there. Walk Ambassadors Colten and Owen write about how others have helped them cope with T1D:
Colten says, “This week I went to sleep over at my best friend Isaac’s house. We usually have so much fun. We watch movies and stay up late. His mom and dad are the best. They help monitor my sugar. They even stay up for my 2 am blood sugar check. Mom says they are the kindest people on the planet. This week however my sugar was crazy! Right in the middle of the movie my sugar got really low. I told Isaac’s mom that I was low and my sugar was dropping fast. After that my stomach was not feeling so good. My blood sugar just wouldn’t stay up. Mom came to pick me up. Isaac was bummed but he understood. I am lucky to have a best friend who understands my T1D.”
Owen says, “I often think about how lucky I am to have super supportive parents who help me with T1D. I quite honestly cannot imagine trying to do it all on my own. For example, this week I have been at an all-day soccer camp and I have had a lot of lows. Trying to figure out the right temp basals and how much to bolus for meals has been really complicated because I have been so active. The camp is across town but my Mom has come everyday for lunch to help me out. That way while I am out scoring goals, heading balls and running around with my friends I do not have to feel overwhelmed by my numbers.”
David says, “Whenever I go over to my friend Connors house it is always fun and we play video games baseball and sometimes go swimming. When I go to his house his mom always makes sure that I check my sugar when I wake up and before I go to bed. Before I eat anything she makes sure I check and helps me count my carbs and then calls my mom to check in and ask how many units I should do. My friend is super cool because every time I check my blood sugar he always goes and watches and sometimes he evan pokes his finger and checks his sugar just like me. Before bed I set my alarm to check in the middle of the night and sometimes I can’t hear it and my friend wakes me up to let me know that it’s going off. I think that it is always helpful to have someone around that can help you with diabetes. It makes me feel lucky that I have friends that can help me and help me keep good tight blood sugars to stay healthy.”
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