This is the second article in a two-part series featuring grateful patients with Type 1 diabetes.

Two New Jersey families’ lives changed forever when their young children were diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, formerly known as juvenile or childhood diabetes. Today, they approach their new normal with optimism and admiration for their children’s resilience. Read more about Grace and Matty’s road to diagnosis here.

When Summit Health patients Grace and Matty were diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, they were at risk for life-threatening complications. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease that prevents your pancreas from making insulin, the hormone that controls blood sugar levels.

Learning how to manage a chronic illness like diabetes is complex. Diabetes management starts with finding ways to keep your blood sugar levels in check. Factors like age, weight, diet, and activity all impact your blood sugar level.

Immediately after they were diagnosed, their physicians suggested they go to the hospital to be monitored and receive insulin and fluids. Their families also began what Matt called a “crash course in diabetes management” and its three main components: 

• Insulin – the different types, dosage amounts, and when to take it. Injections and an insulin pump are common insulin delivery options.
• Blood sugar (glucose) – monitoring it throughout the day. You can check it by pricking your finger and testing a drop of blood on a glucose meter. Or you can use a continuous glucose monitor (CGM), a device that records blood sugar levels via a small sensor placed under the skin.
• Carbohydrate counting – calculating the amount of insulin needed to balance the number of carbs consumed.

They also learned about possible complications when blood sugar gets too high or too low, and how to react. “Parents get comfortable with the basics,” says Sadana Balachandar, MD, a pediatric endocrinologist at Summit Health. The questions really start coming when they go home.”

Connected diabetes care: finding the right treatment

Back at home, both families leaned on Dr. Balachandar as they adjusted to their new normal. “We were calling and messaging her on the patient portal all the time,” says Matt. “She was always very accommodating.”

At Summit Health, our diabetes care team — made up of primary care physicians, pediatricians, endocrinologists, and diabetes educators — works together to develop an individualized treatment plan for every patient. Families also connect with a diabetes educator, who helps with all aspects of a patient’s disease in coordination with their endocrinologist.

Grace and Matty see Dr. Balachandar every three months for a check-up, including an A1C test. This test is used to diagnose diabetes and report average blood sugar levels over the last three months. A1C testing is one way to monitor and adjust treatment, along with reviewing device data and settings.

Meanwhile, Dr. Balachandar stays in touch with her patients’ other providers on issues that may affect their condition, such as illness or medication. She says an advantage of the Summit Health network is the connectivity. “It’s helpful to have everything on one system,” she says. “I can answer a pediatrician in real time so the parent can get feedback.”

Grace and Matty: where they are today

Type 1 diabetes is a lifelong condition that’s challenging to manage, but both families have rallied around adapting and maintaining a positive outlook. With the right treatment and follow-up, children and adults can learn to manage their diabetes and lead normal lives.

Since their diagnoses, Grace and Matty have transitioned from insulin shots to pumps, which deliver insulin throughout the day and communicate with their CGMs. While Dr. Balachandar says it’s important to know how to do injections if technology fails, advances in treatment are making things easier for patients and families.

“It’s a lot more hands-off,” says Matt. “We’re sleeping better than we were the first year.”

Matty, now 7, enjoys reading, video games, and learning to play golf with his dad. “He’s a happy, silly kid with a great sense of humor,” says Matt. “He’s so much tougher than I would be.”

Grace’s mother, Rebecca, says her 9-year-old thrives in school, and enjoys going to the beach and playing with her puppy. “I’m in awe of how resilient she’s been,” she adds.

Both families have also grown their support networks. Rebecca says they’ve connected with other families living with Type 1 diabetes in person and through social media.

Meanwhile, Matt’s family got involved with nonprofit organizations like the JDRF, which he calls “an awesome community.”

They want other families facing diabetes diagnoses to know they’re not alone. “It’s scary early on and life-changing, but it’s completely manageable,” says Matt. “You’ll adjust very quickly, and there’s tons of support out there.”

“It’s a lot — you don’t get to take a day off from diabetes,” adds Rebecca. “But you’ll have a new normal that will still be a happy, wonderful life.”