It was just a week before Christmas when accountant and mum-of-two Kate had her world turned upside-down by a visit to the doctors.
“My seven-year-old son Blake had recently started wetting the bed, he was more tired than usual and also extremely thirsty. I had been Googling possible causes and thought it was due to a UTI, the heat, or the fact he was exhausted after a big year of school. I was chatting to our female GP about all of this and fully expected to be given a prescription for antibiotics and be on our way.
“The doctor listened intently then tested Blake’s urine and did a quick finger-prick blood test. The results were startlingly clear – she told me very simply and gently that unfortunately Blake had Diabetes Type 1.”
While Kate struggled to understand what the implications of the diagnosis were for Blake and the family, the GP told them to immediately go home and pack for hospital. While they waited anxiously in the Emergency Department, they were visited by the diabetes support team.
“I was in complete denial and I kept waiting for someone to say, ‘I’m sorry, there has been a mix up, your son is fine and you can go home.’ I was given mountains of paperwork to read and everything the diabetes experts were saying to me went over my head. All I could think of was my poor son and how was I, with my needle phobia, going to be able to inject him every single day?”
Top Comments
Thank you for posting this. As a mum of a T1, diagnosed two years ago, no family history, we were lucky to diagnose it very quickly ourselves and get to hospital before any permanent damage was done. However the shock and grief still come in waves even two years later. There is no natural conclusion as it doesn’t go away, which is difficult to accept. It is a relentless disease and unless you live it day to day you cannot know what it’s like. I hope for a cure in my sons lifetime. I now watch my other son like a hawke, analyzing every late night drink, every hunger pang and every time he goes to the toilet too often. It’s torture, but it has made me love all the good moments and just appreciate when ‘right now’ is ok and everyone is fine.