Islets of Hope real people - stories from others living with type 1 diabetes

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Erin received a quilt through QD Quilts for Children with Diabetes.  If your child is newly diagnosed with diabetes, visit the Quilting-Dee today.

Dear Quilting  Dee,

My daughter, Erin, received a quilt from you guys. She loves it. She sleeps with it every night. We went to a diabetes seminar at the hospital and someone told us about the quilts.  We can't thank you enough!

Sincerely,
Melanie, Grantsburg, IL

Real people
Stories of children living with type 1 diabetes

Erin, diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of 7 
Grantsburg, Illinois, USA

Erin began giving herself shots only one week after being diagnosed!

My name is Melanie Greer.  My daughter, Erin, is nine years old and was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in November 2005.  Erin and her sister were at their daddy's one weekend and I was up at my parent's house.  I remember telling my Mom that I guess Erin was growing because all her pants were falling off of her and were getting short.  I was  there for awhile and said something about how Erin was going to drink everything that we had at home.  My Mom just looked at me with here big eyes and said when the girls got home to bring her up here and let's check her blood sugar. (My father has had diabetes since he was a kid.)

My eyes just got big and everything just started going through my head.  I remember when Erin would go to Granny's house and when I would go to pick her up after work, she would be laying down so sick and have a migraine headache, even crying sometimes.  She ate junk food all day.  She had a lot of bad headaches.  Her clothes were falling off her.  Her school work was getting really bad.  She used to get good grades.  Why didn't I see any of this?

I have seen my father deal with diabetes my entire life.  I know what he goes through -- I couldn't believe I didn't see any of this.  When Erin got home we went to my Mom's and check her blood sugar.  It was 439 mg/dL!  I called the doctor the next day.

After finding out that Erin had diabetes, I started reading up on it.  We are so lucky.  Almost every story I read, the way they (parents) found out their child had it was because they went into diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA).  I thank God we found out about it early before that happened.

We have learned so much.  I thought I knew about it, I didn't know anything.  Erin deals so well with all this.  She checks her sugar 5 to 6 times per day and takes her own shots (she was even doing it after the first week)!  I think she does so well because she has seen Grandpa Denny do it so much.

We have been making it through everything.  It has been very hard financially, and emotionally. Erin as done so GOOD with it and I think that has helped everything so much.

Melanie and Erin, Grantsburg, IL

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Page Updated 01/20/2007