Mian was diagnosed a few weeks after turning 6 years old. The magical highlights of celebrating his big 6th birthday quickly turned in to the high blood sugars of a newly diagnosed child. 

What were your child’s symptoms?

Mian was in the midst of practicing for his school nativity play and I joked with him, ‘I’m going to bring your shepherd costume home and iron it’ knowing it’d be crumpled in his little bag after each rehearsal. 

 When Friday came around, he walked out of school with his little costume bag, much to my terror, as I thought he’d told his teacher I want it home to iron it. ‘I had a little accident mummy my costume got wet’. Mian never had accidents, I brushed it away thinking maybe they were in the hall a long time and he didn’t want to ask for a toilet trip. 

The weekend that followed went like this: drink, toilet, nap, sad, drink, toilet, drink, toilet, wet the bed, angry, sad, drink, drink, toilet. 

Initially I thought he had a urine infection and made a doctor’s appointment first thing Monday morning. After a visit to the doctors Mian, was sent for blood tests that same day. 14:30pm that afternoon, I got a phone call asking me us back to the surgery as they had Mian’s results. His blood sugar was 32.6 and he had 2.6 ketones. 

When we look back a little bit further than that weekend, we were on a family holiday that summer and we noticed Mian would tire easily, he got very emotional verging on angry sometimes which was so very out of his character.  We wonder did his symptoms start long before that weekend when finally, his sugars rose and the ‘toilet, tired, thirsty, thinner’ was so evident to see. 

How has their diagnosis impacted your family life?

I love this question. Often the wider family is forgotten about a little bit. The diagnosed child is destined to follow a health plan all their lives, you learn the new ways and the procedures to follow. It quickly became normal for me. I had a new job to learn and fast, and my focus was making sure I knew everything I possibly could, as quickly as I could. You read about a grieving process that many go through, for the life that will never be the same. I don’t think I ever went through it as I was focused from the first minute.  

The siblings, grandparents and wider family feel the ripple of the diagnosis so much harder. Especially the siblings. Mian has a little sister who was only 3 when he was diagnosed. She watched him cry at injection times and cower when finger sticks were due. She quickly learnt that Mian needed mummy and daddy for a few moments, and she would busy herself with a toy or a book and never a fuss. Today she will pick-up on his hypos and hypers, she knows where all his medications are kept, and is his biggest supporter. 

Were you able to benefit from the Monitors4Kids campaign? How did this help you?

Monitors4Kids allowed Mian to feel accepted and understood.  It was a chance to educate his peers and be a part of a campaign that would directly benefit him.  

As a family we self-funded the Freestyle Libre scanning device for well over a year which we were only able to do thanks to the financial help we got from his grandparents. I had reduced my hours at work to support Mian, so financially things changed for our family post diagnosis. 

Monitors4Kids supported us by funding the Freestyle Libre which took the financial burden away. 

What’s the one thing as a parent of a child with diabetes that you’d like people to understand?

Diabetes doesn’t change the child. The 6-year-old boy before diagnosis is exactly the same 6-year-old boy afterwards just with added instructions. 

Don’t be scared to keep inviting them to parties, for tea after school, play dates. These children already feel different, as they can’t live care-free, but they can still be included as diabetes lives with them, not the other way around.

Mian

What do you remember about when you were diagnosed with diabetes?

I remember the night when I felt really unwell, and my vision went really funny like I could see through the walls. I was always so thirsty and didn’t like to keep asking for water, but my mouth was so dry. I could just reach the tap so I was getting myself water, but Mum heard me run the tap all the time and was worried why I was drinking so much. I was worried when Mum said we were going to the doctors and even more worried going for blood tests.  The nurse I met on Children’s Ward, Pam, was really kind and helped me understand what was happening. I was only 6 but I understood that I needed insulin. 

How does diabetes make you feel?

I don’t feel different. I have to do some things during the day that others don’t, like scan and bolus, but it doesn’t change me. 

I feel grateful that I have a wonderful family who all care for and love me. 

What’s the one thing about diabetes you’d like people to understand?

There’s nothing you can do to stop getting type 1, it’s not my fault. I didn’t eat too much or do anything wrong. I like when people ask me questions about my diabetes. No one should ever feel afraid to ask questions it’s how we learn. 

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Diabetes affects around 6% of the island’s population, and that is set to increase. The signs and symptoms of diabetes can develop at any time, and early diagnosis is so important to help prevent further health complications.

If you or someone you know is experiencing any of the following symptoms, get in touch with your GP: going to the toilet a lot, especially at night; excessive thirst; feeling more tired than usual; losing weight without trying to; genital itching or thrush; cuts and wounds take longer to heal; and blurred vision.