BRADENTON – While kids enjoy their last few days of summer vacation bouncing around, parents got a few tips on teaching kids how to independently manage their Type 1 Diabetes inside the classroom.
“There’s so many misconceptions people see diabetes and they think type two diabetes so they don’t understand there’s a lot of danger with type one diabetes,” said Stacy Dillard-Spahn.
Dilllard-Spahn and her son Reed have been learning how to cope with Reed’s diabetes since he was 12 years old. They say it’s a learning process that helps when parents and their child have communication.
“Let the kids have confidence in themselves and let them be able to manage themselves because they can do it and it gives them a sense of responsibility,” said Reed.
Parents were introduced to a continuous glucose monitor that doesn’t require a prick to the finger to test your blood sugar levels.
“That makes it a lot easier for the child to manage their diabetes cause they can actually see their blood sugar on their phone throughout the day,” said Andrea Helme, Development Manager at the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.
Reed will be starting his senior year in high school and has decided on adopting Athena, a service dog that will help him monitor his glucose and give him the independence to soon head off to college.
“I’m looking into colleges, I’m looking into schooling and I’m planning everything around Athena as well because she’s my right hand woman and she’s gonna be my best friend for as long as she lives,” said Reed.
For more information on Type 1 Diabetes visit www.jdrf.org