by Kirsten Rayner

Created on: June 01, 2008   Last Updated: June 13, 2008

No parent wants to hear that their child has been diagnosed with diabetes. Our children are not supposed to be faced with a life threatening disease. Their job is to grow, learn, and have fun along the way. The bad news is that your child has diabetes. The good news is that there are so many innovations in diabetes care and such strong networks of parent and child support groups around the country, that it IS possible to lead a "normal" life once you and your child take the time to learn all of the important tools needed to stay healthy.

Study! By now you should have already met with your child's pediatrician and/or a Certified Diabetes Educator to help you establish the how-to's of delivering insulin and checking blood sugars. You'll also want to meet with a dietician or nutrition counselor who can help you understand portion control, carbohydrate counting, etc.

Network! Once the immediate health concerns are addressed, the next best place to call upon is your local chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (www.jdrf.org). The JDRF was founded over 30 years ago by a group of parents to raise money to find a cure for juvenile diabetes. Not only are they the biggest funders of research to find a cure, they also have Outreach Committees at every chapter around the US that are dedicated to providing support to families of newly diagnosed children. Nothing helps more than talking with others in your same shoes and learning from one another. The other great source of support is the American Diabetes Association (www.diabetes.org). Though geared more towards people living with Type II diabetes, they run excellent summer camps around the country for all children with diabetes.

Educate! Make sure that friends and family understand the changes that your child has had to make to their daily routine. And help them understand the signs of high and low blood sugars. Most importantly, though, is to make sure that they not treat your child as a piece of fragile glass. Children need to continue to play and see and do just as they would without diabetes. Singling them out can ultimately force them into a shell where they don't want to talk about diabetes, draw attention to themselves, or ultimately decide they no longer want to care about their disease (which can have lasting, harmful effects on their health).

Inspire! Make sure that you research all of the many role models living successful lives in spite of their diabetes (or perhaps because of?). Inspirational stories from pro-sports stars, professional ballerinas, mountain climbers, etc are now accessible via the internet. When your child hears about the achievements of so many people living with diabetes, they are more inclined to take pride in their own accomplishments.

Understand! Lastly, and most importantly, remain flexible to your child's needs and understand that this is going to be a 24/7 disease for them for the rest of their lives. Again, the great news is that it is more possible now than ever before to live healthy, normal lives. However, there are going to be dips in the road where both you and your child will feel frustrated by the disease and maybe even depressed. Understand that this is normal and that both your physician and diabetes support groups are excellent sources to turn to when you or your child are feeling blue.

Hang in there and just remember, you're not alone!

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