My little boy Ian, was 10 months old when one Sunday afternoon right before Thanksgiving, 2001, his breathing became labored, he was wetting diapers repeatedly and he was vomiting. We called his pediatrician and because it was a Saturday, he wouldn't see him, said it was just a virus. For a short time, we took him at his word.
The next day, when his condition worsened, my wife took him to the hospital. It took the attending physician a couple of hours to give us the diagnosis.
By this time, dka had progressed to the point where they threw my son and I into a helicopter and rushed us to a trauma center.
Ian is our only child and we were just learning how to become parents when this happened. It was the most devastating thing we could ever imagine. We were at a teaching hospital outside New York City and adding to the horror was the fact that few people aside from the endo's even knew how to care for a diabetic. He was being served the wrong foods, Carb heavy foods, we were getting conflicting information from the nurses and GP's. It was the most confusing, terrifying moment of our lives.
Twelve years on now, Ian is thriving. He's had several hospitalizations when he was younger but hasn't been in the hospital for years now. After approximately 43,800 finger sticks, countless injections and constantly hearing about the foods that he can't have, Ian just keeps excelling at everything he does.
He's on Honor Roll most of the time, he plays sports, knows computers better than both his parents combined, and is universally loved by everyone he ever comes in contact with.
He has his days where he's just sick and tired of the whole thing, however he seldom complains. He's been on the pump now for about 7 years. Maintaining control of his BS is always a challenge as has been his life. But he just keeps swinging.
The most inspirational little guy ever.
Slate Hill, NY
