Thank you for sharing your story with us!! Elanore you are my hero!! You are going to do amazing things!! @lewlewgirl
Elanore is 12 years old and was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes on Father’s Day of this year. She had all of the symptoms: Irritability, extreme thirst, frequent urination, weight loss, and exhaustion. We didn’t notice the symptoms all at once, and I found ways to explain most of the symptoms away. I was in denial that it could be type 1, even though I was constantly googling “type 1 diabetes”. The gut feeling that something was wrong wouldn’t go away. I had a blood sugar monitor at home and checked her before we ever went to the hospital or called the doctor. When it read “Hi” we went straight to the ER, where it read 624. After starting treatment my happy, goofy, kid came back. It was a blessing to have answers to most of her health problems.
Elanore is the bravest and toughest kid I know. She hasn’t let diabetes slow her down at all, even when there were times that it made things a lot more difficult. Since being diagnosed she participated in mountain bike club, middle school cross country, choir, band, and even had a job working in the corn fields corn topping this summer. She was able to attend a sleep away diabetes camp that gave her a lot of confidence, and made her excited to come home and start using an insulin pump instead of injections.
Three months after she was diagnosed with Type 1 we found out Elanore also has Hashimoto’s and Celiac disease. Did you know that they are sister autoimmune diseases? We don’t have any family history of Type 1 but we do have a family history of celiac and Hashimoto’s.
Some days we feel like we have it figured out, some days we cry and listen to alarms all night long. But every day we are grateful that there is a treatment and technology to manage Elanore’s diabetes. She uses a Dexcom 6 and Omnipod 5 insulin pump.
If you or a loved one has any of the symptoms of type 1 diabetes ask your doctor to check blood sugar. It is so easy and quick and that finger prick could save a life. Or ask a friend who has type 1, I’m sure they would happily help you check your blood sugar!
