One year ago today our lives, and most importantly Adriennes life changed forever. I picked my sweet baby up from daycare and noticed that she was breathing differently and was very lethargic. I took her immediately to her pediatrician who we coincidentally had a scheduled appointment with. Within minutes 911 was dialed, Adrienne was put on oxygen, and we began our long night of ambulance rides and sitting in the ICU of Seattle Childrens praying that the outcome wouldnt be what all the doctors were thinking. In the morning we received our confirmed diagnosis of Type One Diabetes and began what felt like a new life with a new baby. Since then Adrienne has endured over 4380 finger pokes and has received more than 1825 insulin injections. She will continue doing this for the rest of her life or until a cure is found. Despite the negative stigma that surrounds the word diabetes - Adrienne has type ONE diabetes which is an autoimmune disease that has absolutely NOTHING to do with diet or lifestyle. Her body can no longer produce insulin - something we ALL need to LIVE. She lives perpetually on life support, and the very thing that keeps her alive (synthetic insulin) also has the potential to do the opposite. Managing Type One is a 24/7 job, and keeping Adrienne alive and healthy is not easy. There is a lot of thought, hard work & money that goes into it. There are a lot of calls and emails to doctors offices, pharmacies & insurance companies. There is a lot of paperwork that I must magically create for daycare, caregivers & even family members. People joke that kids should come with manuals - Adrienne has one! Adrienne being diagnosed is the most devastating thing that has happened to our family, but we will continue working hard to guarantee that Adrienne lives a long, happy & healthy life. I swear it was a lifetime ago...but today marks one year since we began this journey.
Posted on: Wed, 22 Oct 2014 16:29:07 +0000