On the Way to Life

Hi Friends,

I know it's an old cliche and good writers should think up something clever, but I'm going to use it anyway. "If you want to make God laugh (or in some cases cry) tell him what you plan to do."

That's the road our family has been down this year. We thought we were going to Monterey, California, to the big aquarium there, during my granddaughter, Paige's, spring break. Hotels were booked, everything was in place, when God shed a tear. Paige had been showing some atypical symptoms--frequent urination, extreme thirst, but no lethargy. She was playing T-ball. The doctors, when called, were sure she was fine. However, Mom and Dad decided before we left on this trip that she had to be checked by a professional. My daughter-in-law, Chandra, my daughter, Wendy, and I took Paige to an emergency care facility. (That experience is a story in itself.) About 11 p.m. the doctor came out and said, "Your daughter has Type I diabetes. Take her straight to the hospital."

Talk about shock! Nobody in the family has ever had Type I diabetes. Where did it come from and why did it attack a beautiful, precocious, five-year-old girl? It was straight to the hospital for Chandra, Wendy, and Paige while I went to stay with the baby, John, so Dad could go to the hospital too.

That was the shocking beginning "on the way to life." Paige was taken by pediatric ambulance to Cottage Hospital in Santa Barbara and admitted to intensive care where she stayed for three days. Then there were three additional days in the hospital. Mark, John, and I stayed in a cottage provided by the hospital for parents of sick kids. Chandra slept in a chair in Paige's room. My daughter, Wendy, ran back and forth between Ventura, Port Hueneme, and Santa Barbara taking care of the rest of our life. With those few word, "Your daughter has diabetes," all of our lives changed forever and we entered the world of Juvenile Diabetes--a lifelong disability--at least at this point in time.

No one expects to begin giving shots four or five times a day to a five year old. No expects to have to prick her finger and draw blood many, many times a day, but now we all do it. We measure her carbs, we make sure she drinks enough water, we see that she gets enough exercise, and we all think about the careless way we have treated our own health.

Type I diabetes is a whole different disease than what happens to many obese, non-exercising kinds of people (many of whom are children). Type I diabetes is a genetic diasease inherited from both sides of the family that manifests in the diabetic. You can't lose weight or watch what you eat or get more exercise to get over Type I diabetes. You have it for life. Type I diabetes happens when the pancreas stops making insulin all together. For a grandmother, looking down the long years ahead of this child, that is what brings a tear to my eye and I believe to God's eye as well. But for some reason we cannot see and may never understand, He has allowed this disease into Paige's life. We have a lot of hope for Paige's future and for treatment yet to be discovered.

Paige is coping well. Maybe better than all of us. She can even check her own blood sugar. I can only say that I am so grateful for the research that has been done on diabetes to this point. Much of what has happened with this regard makes the life of a diabetic so much more manageable. As soon as Paige's blood sugar levels stabilizes, she will get an insulin pump that will administer the correct dose of insulin without an injection. There is stem cell research going on right now trying to figure out how the pancreas can be rejuvenated. While our family is opposed to embryonic stem cell research, the great news is that scientists are learning how to do stem cell research using skin cells. We all believe that the answer to Type I diabetes is just ahead and will happen in Paige's lifetime.

So let me encourage you if you or someone you love has this disease. It is managable. The diabetic can live an active, happy, fulfilling life. Paige swims, plays ball, bikes, and will continue to develop lots of interests in her life. She is in no way limited--she can even have sugar--as long as it is at a meal where it can be covered by the insulin we give her. And, as I said, we have great hope for her future. Be encouraged if you have Type I diabetes or love someone who does. Good things are ahead.