Many people believe they know about "diabetes", but did you know there are different types? Type 1 and type 2 are different diseases. So different in fact, that they should have different names to help end the confusion.

My son has type one diabetes. This is sometimes called Juvenile Diabetes. He was diagnosed last year at the age of four. Most people connect diabetes with poor eating habits or inactivity.

That simply is not true.

Type one diabetes is an autoimmune disease. That means that without reason and without warning, his own body attacked the healthy cells of his pancreas, destroying the beta cells which produce insulin. We all need insulin to survive. It turns the glucose in the food we eat into usable energy.

And it is not just an issue with when and how much sugar we eat. It is any and all carbohydrates that affect your blood sugar. From the toast you eat in the morning, to the apple you snack on, to the pasta you have at dinner. And yes, the cake you enjoy at dessert.

Type one diabetics can eat it all; they just need to also take a dose of insulin to compensate for it. Type one diabetes cannot be avoided, cannot be reversed with diet or exercise, it will not go away without a cure.

Daily insulin injections of at least 3 times a day and finger poke tests to check blood sugar levels at least 4 times a day is the regimen for a type one diabetic.

Type two's get all the media attention because there are more of them. However, type one diabetes most often occurs during childhood, so more education and compassion are needed towards type one. The assumption that all diabetics are inactive or unhealthy is damaging to the self esteem and confidence of the children who deal with this disease every moment of the day.
"Jack's Mom"
Andrea Hutchinson
Melancthon