In a world where there seem to be so many new cases of allergies, I am finding that many people I meet indeed do have a child with allergies. Many of these people are passionate about keeping their children safe, and more specifically safe at school. I listen to how class parties shouldn’t have snacks so their kids don’t feel left out, or kids shouldn’t be allowed to celebrate birthday’s with a cupcake but rather a pencil for every kid in the class. But what always stands out to me in these types of conversations is that the parent usually ends each statement with, “because my kid could die.”<\/p>\n
We have been living with Type 1 diabetes for over 4 years. I have explained this disease to numerous teachers, classroom aides, Principals, Vice Principals, class mothers, and friends’ mothers. Really, almost too many people to count as I always feel I am on a crusade of educating everyone about Type 1 diabetes. But until very recently I never added the, “because my kid could die,” statement to my conversations.<\/p>\n
But that is very much the truth.<\/p>\n
I don’t want my son’s sugar to plummet while he is sleeping, “because my kid could die.”<\/p>\n
I don’t want my son’s sugar to go unchecked and go to high, “because my kid could die.”<\/p>\n
I don’t want my son’s sugar to drop so low when he is high up on the jungle gym as he could fall, hit his head, “because my kid could die.”<\/p>\n
I am not sure why this statement hadn’t really passed my lips in the four years since diagnosis. Until recently.<\/p>\n
Maybe I am taking some lead from the mom’s of kids with allergies, knowing that the world listens a little better when you add in that a mistake may make a child die. Maybe I am tired of living with this disease 24 hours a day 7 days a week and people still aren’t getting how serious this hidden disease really is. Maybe I want people to understand that the reason I wake up at night, sometimes several times a night, over the course of four years is because I do not want my child to die.<\/p>\n
Maybe I am just coming to terms with the fact that my child, my heart and soul, my absolute reason for living, could indeed die from this disgusting disease at any given moment.<\/p>\n
I make a flippant remark the other day to a friend when we were talking about ‘my’ life.\u00a0“You know it’s a good day in our house when everyone wakes up alive.” It came out faster than I could stop it. As my mom used to say, what’s on my lung comes off my tongue, and this was the case. Although what I said was not insulting anyone it did set ME back a few steps.<\/p>\n
In my world, yes, there are fights about school and even with the school. Arguments about cleaning up or lack thereof. Dissent when it comes to bed time. But all in all, it’s a good day in our house when everyone wakes up alive.<\/p>\n
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In a world where there seem to be so many new cases of allergies, I am finding that many people I meet indeed do have a child with allergies. Many of these people are passionate about keeping their children safe, and more specifically safe at school. I listen to how class parties shouldn’t have snacks … <\/p>\n