My daughter had a friend several years ago who was 6 or 7 and diabetic. She had to test her blood periodically and my heart just went out to that kid. She bore it pretty stoically though.

I have had diabetes (Type 1) since I was a toddler. It's hard, but somehow I managed! It really is hard to watch children with this disease. I remember running away screaming while my mom chased me with a needle! Lol!

To this day, I still cry when I see the JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation) commercials or read an article or see a news clip about a young child living with diabetes.

All I can hope for is a cure. For them, for all of us.

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Pre-Med Student

Type 1 from the other post I have read this has molded you. You are strong, brave and intelligent. With people like you out there, I know that one day there will be a cure.

Ultimately the children who have this condition simply have no choice but to learn to deal with it. I have known of children who when they reached an age that their parent could no longer force them to test or take their shots, they stopped doing it. They got sick pretty quick, and most came back to testing and taking their meds-but not all. And that friend is not around to tell us why.

Aww....thanks!

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Pre-Med Student

That is the "unfair" part about Type 1 diabetes. You either deal with it...or you die. Unfortunately, people with Type 1 really have no choice but to become their pancreas if they want to continue living. It's really a scary situation.

There are some people who just cannot, or will not, follow through with the daily care necessary in Type 1 diabetes and end up in comas or deceased. Sadly, many of these kids (usually teens) would be OK with just a bit more parental support. In some cases, the child simply needs a break. Parents can offer to "take over" some of the diabetes care that the child had formerly been doing themselves.

In other cases, there is nothing the parents can do, short of hospitalizing their child. Some people do not adjust as well as others, and to be honest, I do not blame them. It is a lot to ask of a young person, since diabetes care is 24 hours a day, everyday. You can never take a break. The children that try to end up in the hospital or dead. Many of these young people are overwhelmed, and just wanting to be "normal" again. However, some truly feel that they do not want to live like this. Whether anti-depressant medication can help these kids is debatable. What they need is a cure.

It is truly a sad disease in many aspects when it comes to the children. I have heard of many young people who have "given up"only to go into a coma and have lasting damage, even though they take care of themselves now. These are 20 year olds with kidney damage. Still others never wake up.

Many like to blame the patient, but perhaps we should blame the disease.

One more reason why we need a cure.

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Pre-Med Student