Real-life advice for

type 1 diabetic kids

[ a girl scout gold award project By Allison ong ]

About this Book

Diabetes Has Taught Me…

Management

Diet & Exercise

Lifestyle

Staying Strong

The Positive Side of Diabetes

Contributors

Table of contents

About this Book “I may have diabetes, but diabetes does not have

me.” Perhaps the hardest part about having an incurable disease is knowing that it won’t go away. We can’t turn diabetes off. We can’t give it a time-out. And we cannot cure it.. yet. Until we find a cure, we have to deal with diabetes. There are many ways to do so, and sometimes they are difficult. But with the right motivation and dedication, we can do anything!

The purpose of this booklet is not to give you medical advice, but support and inspiration. It was created in 2013 as part of a

Girl Scout Gold Award project by Allison Ong.

Diabetes has taught me…

Diabetes has taught me…

How to live a healthier life. To appreciate life. Karoline, age 10 How to be more responsible and how to take care of myself. Rebecca, age 14 How to be patient. Adam, age 17 How to get back up when physical and mental struggles push me down. Allison, age 17 Not to take things for granted, like being able to just sit and eat, or being able to eat whatever you want. Nikki, age 13 To always stay strong no matter what. Jacquie, age 15

About the human body: how it functions and works both for diabetics and non-diabetics. Alyssa, age 13 To be responsible. Grant, age 14 To live every moment to its fullest. Nikki, age 13 To be strong and independent. To not judge people because you never know what they are going through. Sloan, age 16

Diabetes has taught me…

management

management

Type 1 diabetes is not life-ending, but it is life changing. Never give up hope for a cure! Claire, age 12

Glucose tablets are your best friend. Don't ever leave home without some kind of security blanket in the form of sugar. You don't ever want to risk being low without something to help you out in case of a low. Cindy, age 17 Follow all the advice your endocrinologist or doctor gives you. You're going to go to a lot of learning sessions and have to memorize a lot of things, but when you do it everyday, it becomes easier. Nikki, age 13 ALWAYS carry around glucose tablets, or any kind of sugar. I made the mistake of not having them with me before an orchestra concert. 50% of my playing probably wasn't even part of the music. Elliot, age 15

Diabetes is not an easy disease to control, but things that have definitely helped me stay healthy include exercise, making sure I test regularly and inject the correct dosages of insulin, and eating a healthy, well-balanced diet. Molly, age 19 “Listen” to how your body is feeling. In other words, you should never second guess or underestimate what your blood sugars are. For example; if you feel shaky or weak & did not get enough sleep the night before, don’t just think it’s because you’re tired. Check your blood sugars because it could be high or low. Alyssa, age 13 Test your blood sugar before you take a test! Don't take the test until your blood sugar is healthy enough so that you can focus and perform at your best. Elliot, age 15 Keep an emergency juice box and 15-carb snack by your bed! In case of a nighttime low, you’ll have easy access to sugar – you won’t need to fall down the stairs in the dark to get some. Allison, age 17

management

Write down, chart, or graph what you eat, the amount of carbohydrates, & the amount of insulin given. This helps you understand how different types of food or different numbers of carbohydrate affect your blood sugars. It’s a lot of work, but doing it really makes a difference in how well you can manage your blood sugars. Alyssa, age 13

If you're using syringes, try and ask your endo about switching to pens. They're definitely a lot easier. Nikki, age 13

There will be days where you don’t want to check your blood sugar, and don’t feel bad because EVERYONE feels the same. But trust me, you NEED to check it. Not checking may not affect you right away, but it will affect you somehow later on. We don’t need to harm our bodies when we can prevent it. Jada, age 15

management

Diet and Exercise

DIET AND EXERCISE

During sports, I normally take my pump off because I go low with it on. I would suggest to bring lots of snacks and sugars with you and to test often. Lauren, age 14 Don’t make your sugar high during exercise to avoid being low. I struggled with that problem for years. High blood sugar makes you feel sluggish, tired, and extra thirsty! Work with your endo so you know how to adjust your settings for optimal performance. Allison, age 17 When I exercise in P.E every day, I start to notice what my blood sugars do - like when I run in the mornings, my blood sugars are lower at night. Making a chart or graph of what you do can help you see patterns and how much insulin is needed for each thing you do or eat. Alyssa, age 13

On days when you exercise, your blood sugar is so much better. It makes you more sensitive to insulin and also makes it easier to manage. Elliot, age 15

Just because you exercised, it doesn't mean that you can over-eat. Make sure you eat or bring some food with you so you don't drop - but don't overdo it. Elliot, age 15 Sugar-free Jell-O. Nikki, age 13 Applesauce. Sloan, age 16 Salty roasted almonds. Cindy, age 17 Green smoothies. I throw kale, spinach, blueberries, orange slices, and a banana into my blender. It may look nasty, but it tastes like a fruit smoothie. Allison, age 17 Sugar-free cookies that are sweetened by Splenda are good. Try not to go overboard on Splenda, though. Sometimes natural is better. Nikki, age 13 Spinach and watermelon. Jacquie, age 15

favorite healthy snacks?

DIET AND EXERCISE

lifestyle

When people ask me questions about diabetes, I answer every time. I believe it’s important not to hide such a big part of myself, but embrace it. I even let my friends check their own blood sugar! Allison, age 17 Don’t try to hide your diabetes. I tried to do that for years

because I was embarrassed. But lately, I have been opening up and it feels so much better to talk about it. Lauren, age 14 I've always told my close friends about my diabetes because I found it uncomfortable when people asked me a lot of weird questions about it, treating me as if I couldn't eat certain things, like sweets. Jacquie, age 15 When other kids say that their once-a-year checkup shot hurt, you laugh at them and say “Honey, I've taken 20,000 more shots than you have, so stop whining!” Cindy, age 17 When life gives you lemons, throw them at the people who ask if you can drink lemonade with sugar! Claire, age 12

lifestyle

When people ask you about diabetes, try and keep it short and concise unless they are truly interested in learning more. They can get a bit grossed out by something that they don't understand. But never turn away an opportunity to teach someone about diabetes! Nikki, age 13 I had a situation where a boy wouldn't come near me because he thought he would catch my diabetes. But after talking and help from my parents and principal, he got over it and now we're really close. Jacquie, age 15 If your friends treat you differently, they were never your friends in the first place. I have awesome friends now, even some diabetic ones. Nikki, age 13 Join Friends for Life, a conference I go to every July in Florida sponsored by Children with Diabetes. There, I met so many people and made friends I will keep my whole life. Rebecca, age 14

Support groups have helped me with my diabetes by showing me that I'm not the only one that has to deal with this. I can always look for help! Jacquie, age 15

lifestyle

Staying strong

Just embrace life and embrace your diabetes. While it may be a pain in the butt, it is part of you now! The sooner you accept it, the sooner you can be happy again. Nikki, age 13

I’ve always looked towards my parents and closest friends for help and comfort when I have roadblocks in diabetes. Jacquie, age 15 I’ve established a good relationship with my doctors who are always there for me, and I have learned from previous challenges to take things day-to-day. Adam, age 17 In my opinion, there is always some obstacle that you have to dodge or work around. Even if you are a young adult or a child of a young age, good communication between your parents is the best way to overcome diabetic obstacles & challenges, because they can help in some way. Alyssa, age 13

Staying strong

Be strong! It only gets easier! Take things one day at a time, and be patient with yourself. Adam, age 17 If you can stay on top of it, diabetes shouldn’t be too much of a problem. It can be frustrating at times, but if you remain positive and work to improve your glycemic control, you will benefit from it. Molly, age 19 Keep your head high so you look, feel, and act normal. Karoline, age 10 Diabetes is a condition that never lets you forget you have it. Because of that, sometimes you experience many challenges. Once you decide to just accept it and stay positive, it becomes easier to overcome diabetic challenges. Lauren, age 14

I would tell a new diabetic to never give up. Keep looking ahead at a bright future. Jacquie, age 15

Staying strong

The positive side of diabetes

The positive side of diabetes is that you can learn more

about yourself and how the human body works & reacts to sugar & insulin. Alyssa, age 13 Diabetes makes you pay attention to your health and it teaches you to become independent. Sloan, age 16 Think of it as an advantage. You will probably live longer than most of the kids you go to school with. Karoline, age 10 Sometimes it’s hard to see the positive side of diabetes, but the lifestyle forces you to learn balance and discipline. Lauren, age 14

Diabetes doesn’t make you different. You’re not an alien or a monster, so don’t feel bad. Diabetes doesn’t stop you from being what you want to in life. Karoline, age 10

The positive side of diabetes

If I never got diabetes, I wouldn’t have learned to appreciate life that way I do now. Diabetes is a second chance to become someone new, someone better. Allison, age 17 I’ve met some amazing new people and made great connections. I’ve also learned a lot about health and nutrition. Adam, age 17 You can make new friends with diabetes and share tips & advice. Throughout my 7 years of being a Type 1 Diabetic, I have had and made so many supportive & caring friends, both diabetic & non-diabetic. Alyssa, age 13 Diabetes makes you a stronger person. You have to be resilient in order to survive diabetes. Low blood sugars and high blood sugars get tossed at you, and you need to battle it! Cindy, age 17

Even today, at age thirteen, I still learn more about myself, my sugars, Type 1 Diabetes itself, and how it affects me & my life. Alyssa, age 13

The positive side of diabetes

Contributors Thank you for making this

project a reality!

T1D for… 6 years 6.5 years 7 years 11 years 9 years 3.5 years 8 years 16 years 1 year 8 years 5 years 5.5 years

Name Adam, 17 Allison, 17 Alyssa, 13 Cindy, 17 Claire, 12 Elliot, 15 Grant, 14 Jacquie, 15 Jada, 15 Karoline, 10 Lauren, 14 Molly, 19 Nikki, 13 Rebecca Sloan, 16 Sydney, 15