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So here's the deal. On November 7, 2004 I took my then almost 4 year old daughter, Meri into the ER of Children's Hospital
Pittsburgh with what seemed to her father & me to be nothing more than a virus. She'd been lethargic for a couple of days,
drinking a LOT, urinating a LOT, started vomiting that afternoon, and by evening was having trouble breathing. Called the
ped who told us to get her to Children's ER asap, they'd be waiting for us. We were met literally at the ER door, whisked
into a exam room where they immediately drew blood as the ER doctor told us that based on what we had told they ped they suspected
Meri might have type 1 diabetes. WHAT? My daughter doesn't even LIKE 'goodies', she'd be happy to exist on fruits &
veggies. She isn't overweight, and had never been to the doctor prior for anything other than a yearly check up, never had
been on an antibiotic. No one in either family has diabetes. This CAN'T be happening. Meri's blood sugar was over 900.
(normal is 80 -120) Yep, Meri has type 1 diabetes.
Based on my initial reaction in the ER it was clear I had a lot
to learn about type 1 diabetes. Unlike type 2 (adult onset, insulin resistant), type 1 has nothing to do with weight, sugar
intake, or lack of exercise. It's an autoimmune disease, where beta cells attack a once healthy pancreas & no longer allow
it to produce insulin for reasons that are not yet clearly understood. It is known to have a genetic dimension (people who
get type 1 are genetically predisposed to do so, but it doesn't always manifest) and also an environmental dimension (it seems
to be triggered by an unknown viral attack). At this point there is nothing that is known that could have stopped Meri from
developing diabetes......but one day there will be!
Life with diabetes (either type) sucks. Meri's pancreas does not
produce insulin,so for her to remain alive it must be provided to her through a different means. Initially, in Meri's case,
that was 6-8 insulin injections daily. Now she wears an insulin pump. To be able to accurately dose insulin we must know Meri's
blood sugar level. She checks her blood sugar by pricking her finger everytime she is going to eat anything, when she wakes
up, before bed, whenever she is feeling 'off' and her dad or I test it every night around midnight & a couple times a
week around 3 am. She can't just enjoy a cupcake when someone brings them into school for a birthday party- she has to visit
the nurse's office, check her blood sugar, deliver insulin through her pump then go back to the party. When her blood sugar
is low she is whiney, clingy & miserable. If it is tooooo low she could have a seizure, which has happened & is the
scariest thing I have ever experienced. If it is high she is mean, aggressive & combative. Don't get me wrong, when the
diabetes dragon is controlled (which it CAN be with careful management) my daughter is a vivacious, charming, bright 8 year
old who everyone adores. But when her blood sugar is off, watch out.
We're committed to doing what I can to help
find a cure, to provide outreach to families of newly diagnosed kids & to educating people about diabetes. Which is why,
shortly after Meri was diagnosed we got involved with Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. JDRF was founded by parents of
kids with diabetes in the 70s, committed to finding a cure through research. 85% of money raised by JDRF goes directly into
research. Those research dollars have made things like glucose meters (think onetouch ultra that you see advertised on TV),
insulin pumps, and continuous glucose moniters a reality. And one day those research dollars will go beyond the invention
of better ways to manage diabetes to an actual cure. Insulin therapy was discovered in 1922. Prior to that the life expectancy
for a child diagnosed with diabetes was months. Today, Meri is expected to live a full, normal life. Insulin rocks, but it
isn't a cure.
If you're interested in joining us on this journey click on the JDRF link on this page to donate or
join us for the JDRF Walk for a Cure Sept 12, 2009 in Schenley Park. Our team, Meri's Miracle, is happy to have anyone join
the party!
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