It was August 2010. My daughter just had surgery. A tonsillectomy. My parents were watching my other 3 children. When we got home my husband took the twins to the playground, when they came back he told me Matt just kept peeing. Tuesday, I could not feed him enough! I thought, he must be growing, I remember yelling at him to get a cup when I saw him drinking from the bathroom faucet! Wednesday, We went to the mall, I had been up all night with the baby, my 4 year old whose throat was sore and my son, who wet the bed 3 times that night.
Matt had to pee several time on the way to the mall, we went to Wendy’s for lunch, and he peed again. My mom took the kids to the indoor playground I remember at one point peeking over the balcony outside Macy’s only to see Matt lying with his head on Grandma’s lap, and I knew something was wrong. That night, I realized Matt had peed 22 times. I decided to call the pediatrician in the morning. They wanted to see him immediately.
I remember that day, a Thursday, August 19th like it was yesterday. The pediatrician pulling up a chair to tell me we needed to get to the children’s hospital. “The sugar in his urine is off the charts” she said. She said he didn’t need an ambulance, so we went home, packed a bag and kissed my other babies. I will never forget how I felt as my daughter stood screaming for me as we drove away, rubbing my son’s chest watching his eyes roll back in his head and begging God to keep him awake, the doctors and blood tests and the words, “his blood sugar is 619”, “he has Type 1 Diabetes”
“He will need insulin with every bite of food for the rest of his life” “without that he will die”.
He was so tiny, in that bed, I realized then he had lost 10 pounds this summer. He had been dying right in front of us. That day, he became my hero. He was just 6. A baby. And here he was being told he needed a shot several times a day. That he had to count carbs and test his Blood with a prick of the finger 10-12 times every day. For the rest of his life, no breaks, there is no cure. I watched him, how brave he was, I was amazed.
That day a nurse told him “there are only 3 things you cannot do with Type 1 Diabetes, you cannot be a pilot, and astronaut or a soldier.” And I remember I wanted to slap her! WHAT ELSE does a little boy want to do?? So I promised him that there is NOTHING he cannot do if he wants to! It has been four years now, and Matt never lets diabetes get him down. Even on the bad days when I feel like I can’t do it any more, I look at him and see the resilience and grace that he displays each day and I know we can do this. He has latched on to education and awareness, he has helped us raise over $10,000 for the JDRF. He went to congress and spoke to Senators about life with T1D and why they need to support funding for a cure, he never hides his diabetes and is the first to offers to help others and when he hears of a new diagnosis of T1d, his first words are “what can we do to help” He is awesome, truly awesome. He is my hero. Please donate if you can…we will not stop, not until Type One becomes Type none…
http://www2.jdrf.org/site/TR?fr_id=4011&pg=personal&px=1393531&play=1#.VDXxzRJbC7E.facebook
Pancreas Interrupted 