His Grace is Sufficient: coping with type 1 diabetes

Recently my daughter has been drinking a lot of water. I mean, a lot for her. We bought a five gallon jug of water and she drank about half of it in one day. After she drank the water she would soon go to the bathroom. It became a vicious cycle. She would drink the water only to pee it out again minutes later. The water was not quenching her thirst. She was also eating everything in sight and looking pale in color. When she began having accidents, such as wetting the bed, I knew something was wrong because this was not her normal behavior. My aunt, who is a diabetic and who took care of her mother who was a diabetic, suggested I take my daughter to the doctor to check for diabetes.

Even though I decided to take her to the doctor, I did not do so because I thought she had diabetes. I actually thought she may have had a bladder infection which caused her to wet the bed. I expected to get to the pediatricians office and have them tell me she had an infection and give me some antibiotics. What I did not expect was for the doctor to walk in to the office and say, “Your daughter has signs of type 1 diabetes.”

“What?” I said. Not because I had not heard what she said, but because I could not believe what she was saying about my daughter. So she repeated herself and reiterated that they checked my daughter’s urine and it was full of sugar. She suggested putting my daughter on an IV because she was dehydrated, in spite of all the water drinking, and then they would take some blood to run some tests to make sure it actually was diabetes. If she had diabetes, my daughter would then be admitted to the Children’s hospital where they would work on lowering her sugar level and get it under control.

I learned that the reason my daughter drank so much water is because her body could not get rid of the sugar in her blood by breaking it down in the pancreas, because her pancreas had quit producing insulin. Insulin is the chemical that breaks down sugar and allows it to carry the nutrients throughout the blood. Since her pancreas was no longer working, she had to get rid of the sugar through her urine, this made her very thirsty. On the way to the pediatrician’s office, before I found out she had diabetes, she actually complained to me that water did not quench her thirst. She had gulped down all of her drink and wanted to know if she could have some of mine. I told her no, thinking she was over indulging.  It never crossed my mind that she could really be as thirsty as she claimed; she had just drunk 20 plus ounces of watermelon slush!

The blood tests came back positive for diabetes, and they admitted her in to the Children’s Hospital. We were there for three days and two nights as they worked to get her sugar under control through the use of insulin. She had to have insulin every time she ate and then a different long lasting insulin before bed. My husband and I had to go through diabetes education so we could learn how to care for our daughter once we got home.

It was scary at first. I was actually crying wondering how I was going to take care of my daughter. What if I didn’t give her enough insulin, what if I gave her too much? What if I gave her the wrong food? I had all these fears in the beginning, but the diabetes educator at the hospital broke everything down and made it very understandable. The nurses were great, coming in to check her blood sugar before every meal and then delivering the insulin once she ate. I began to feel as if it was something we could do on our own.

The real hero of the story, however, is my daughter. When the nurse told her she had diabetes, naturally, she did not understand what that meant, not really. But I began explaining to her that her eating habits would have to change. When the nurse said she had to get an IV, I broke it down for her, told her that it didn’t hurt, and my daughter accepted it and let them stick her with the needle. She was always very good at taking needles. The nurses were very impressed by her behavior. Many kids scream that they hate shots and needles, especially when they find out they are diabetics and have to take a shot daily, let alone with every meal; but not my daughter. She eagerly watched everything the nurses did and often asked if she could do it herself. She would get the needle ready and then prime her leg usually, and stuck it in. She actually prefers to do it herself, and she is only 9.

Her ability to learn the schedule and routine quickly gave me hope; she knew what she was doing. If I forgot something, she would help me remember. As the diabetes educator explained, “Demi, is not the only one with diabetes. Because Demi has diabetes, the whole family has diabetes.” My husband took these words to heart and began downloading every diabetic app he could find. The first one he wanted to try out was his new diabetic cook book app. We would all begin eating as if we had diabetes; if Demi could not eat it, then neither could we. Whatever carb level she was allowed to have was the model for the family. We left the hospital with a confidence that we knew what to do to keep her sugar in check.

Now, as Christians, we asked for much prayer for our daughter. My husband prayed for her healing and asked that others do the same. I asked that God would help us through this situation. When I spoke to other Christians about it, they pretty much all said the same thing, “God’s got it, and He will heal her, you just have to have faith and believe.” It’s not that I don’t believe God can heal her if He wants to, I just wonder if He intends on healing her, especially so quickly, why would He give her diabetes in the first place? God can do all things and He does them according to His will. Sometimes He sends us trials in life to grow us. If we ask for the trial to be over before we have learned our lesson, then what good is it? That sounds weird right? Here’s the thing, Christian’s struggle in life, just like everyone else. They contract diseases; they are subject to ridicule and persecution. They get bit by snakes, they get in car accidents; they can have all sorts of things happen to them. I do not believe that this is outside of the will of God. I believe that God has a purpose for every trial we face and the ultimate goal is for Him to receive glory even from our tribulations.  

See, something I held on to, and it is something that one of my Christian friends said to me that was different than the others, “Pray what God leads you to pray.” We are always quick to ask for healing. We ask for healing because we don’t think Christians or children should be sick. We pray for healing because we see sickness or conditions as a curse. Anything that deviates from the norm we think is an attack from the enemy and God has to correct it. But sometimes, these things come from the Father Himself. No trial can overtake us that hasn’t passed through His hands first. So, in spite of my situation, I trust that God is with me, that He will lead me through it. It could be that God will heal my daughter, and I will be very grateful. But, if He doesn’t choose to heal her, I will still look at the good that He is bringing forth from this situation.

One of the things I am grateful for so far, is my husband who quickly adjusted to the situation and decided to take diabetes head on. This one diagnosis was all he needed to jump on the healthy eating bandwagon. It’s a shame it took this diagnosis for him to change his eating habits, but at least he is not realizing how serious it is to have good nutrition and he is jumping in wholeheartedly. I am also grateful for my daughter. She has such a beautiful spirit and personality. She always impresses me with how well she takes to changes in life and situations. She may fuss about the small things, like not being able to get this or that when she wants, but when it comes to long term change, like not being able to watch a certain TV show, or listen to music, or having to get poked and prodded all day long, she is a champ.  I admire the way she takes charge in situations; she was born a leader. I believe that even with diabetes she can be a beacon of hope for other children, and even adults, who struggle with the same thing.

Being diagnosed with diabetes does not mean your life is over; it means you have to make a few changes in the way you live. My daughter still wants to be a professional gymnast and I hope she makes it. I can only imagine the testimony she will have as a type 1 diabetic professional gymnast. How many people will she be able to reach with her message of hope? In spite of what you are going through, God is in the midst. He has not forsaken you, but He will see you through. The scripture that came to mind when I thought about how God doesn’t always heal is 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 where Paul says, “ And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. ⁸ Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. ⁹ And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. ¹⁰ Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

When we face trials, we must turn to God to face them. It is through His strength that we will overcome. But more importantly, we also have to learn to accept His will for our lives. As Paul found out, God doesn’t always make it easy, He won’t always take the pain away, but He will give us the grace to get through it. Don’t misunderstand me, I am not saying that God can’t and won’t heal, because He often does. I am saying it is at His discretion to choose whom He would heal. Even Jesus did not heal everyone He passed, but there were those He chose from among the people to perform His miracles on. I think whether or not God chooses to heal anyone, we have to remember that it is all for His glory. He will get the glory out of this situation as well. No matter what happens, I put my trust and faith in Him.