Before my daughter was diagnosed with T1D I had never seen/heard the symptoms, I wish I had. I had noticed my daughter had not been herself for a few weeks. Extreme thirst, frequent urination, sleepiness, and moodiness all seemed normal for a four year old, especially just starting back to school in the south (hot) with a history of kidney reflux. Riley is a very active sweet natured child, but is also 4 so being less agreeable and somewhat cranky at the end of a long day of school did not shock me, especially after talking with her teachers and hearing how sweet and kind she is all day at school. I was worried Sunday when she laid around seeming to have no energy. She stayed home from school the next two days thinking she was getting whatever bug was going around. I worked and let her Grandmothers each have a day with her. The thirst and urination had me concerned she might have a UTI, so I made an appointment for Tuesday afternoon. I remember telling the doctor her symptoms and he agreed that a urine sample was needed because of her history of kidney reflux. Moments later he came into the room and asked to do a finger prick because there was glucose in her urine. Even though I had very little knowledge about T1D I immediately felt a huge lump in my throat and knew where this was leading, he came back confirmed her T1D and told me I needed to take her to the ER she needed more blood work and a more precise BG count. At the hospital they notified us that her BG was 678. Through all of this she has been amazing, within a week she jumped right back into her normal activities and began helping with her care. She wrote a book to share with her friends when she returned to school telling them about her time away and the new things she would be doing at school. I could not be more proud of her strength and positive attitude.

Courtney Fincher-Foster
Fountain Inn, SC