I have a friend named Tessa, who was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when she was 8 years old. Like many kids with diabetes, she and her parents took it on – she’s now 16 and on a pump, etc. Last month Tessa’s parents sent her to Tanzania and Turkey on a month-long journey that included trekking and doing service projects, with a group from her high school. Tessa and 12 other teens stayed with host families, camped and stayed in hostels. She managed her blood glucose, insulin doses, food, and activities independently. And this was not the first time Tessa has done something like this. In 2010, she went to Bolivia and traveled from the Andes to the Amazon! In addition, she has gone on several camping trips without her parents.
I saw Tessa and her parents a few weeks ago, and although she looked tired, she was in one piece and reported that she had an amazing time. I commended Tessa for taking care of herself on a trip abroad. Even more, I praised her parents for having the courage and strength (and trust) to send her. My kids do not have diabetes, and I’m not even comfortable flying them to the east coast alone on a non-stop flight (sorry Nana and Papa), let alone to a foreign country (or three). I’m working hard to be the kind of parent who will be able to do that one day, however.
One of the downsides to all the intensive management tools we now have is that we know too much!! How can a parent let go long enough to not watch the continuous glucose monitor or check the pump settings? When I was 18 my parents let me go to Mexico with three high school friends. The parents who were supposed to be in charge ended up taking their son back to Arizona for an emergency appendectomy, so suffice it to say we were on our own. I managed my diabetes with a very old-fashioned blood glucose meter and injections. The hardest part was not really knowing what was safe to eat and then dealing with severe dehydration after I got struck with Montezuma’s Revenge. I will always be grateful to my parents for giving me the independence to go on that trip. I can’t imagine how scary it must have been for them, but we all did just fine!
Here’s to all the parents who are raising kids with diabetes – guiding them and supporting them through good and bad times; highs, lows, and target blood glucose levels; mood swings and stable moments. Thanks for your hard work; for dealing with frustration; for treating your kid(s) with diabetes just like your kid(s) without; thanks for being the brains and the pancreases; thanks for teaching your kid(s) how to take care of themselves and become independent when the time is right and for trusting them to go out into the world on their own and succeed!