When a mother holds an infant in her arms, she often tries to envision his or her future. If the young mother is holding a female infant, she might imagine the wedding of the young adult female into which she hopes her infant will grow. If she is holding a male infant, she might imagine her son in some heroic or paternal role.

When a young father watches his infant or toddler, he can easily dream about what the future might hold for that child. If the father has a male child, he might well think about how his son could one day be a great sports star. If the father has a small daughter, then he usually wants to her life to be free of any potential harm.

When a parent learns that a son or daughter has diabetes, then that parent often feels like someone has busted a balloon, a balloon that was holding the parent’s dreams. Many of the myths associated with diabetes force parents to rule out the futures that they had once hoped their child could enjoy. Let’s look at those myths, and let’s see why they are no more than that—just myths.

Some people would have the parent of a newly diagnosed diabetic believe that diabetics can not take part in sports. That is a myth. As long as a diabetic can check his or her blood sugar levels, that diabetic can take part in any sports activity. Of course, a diabetic athlete burns-up a good deal of the sugar in his or her blood.

While a bloodstream laden with glucose is unhealthy, a bloodstream that lacks a sufficient amount of glucose can not be viewed as the sign of a desirable medical condition. When the glucose level in the blood falls too low, the brain can not obtain needed nourishment. For that reason a diabetic athlete needs to carry some sort of sugar source on his or her person.

Today there are many ways for a diabetic athlete to obtain quick access to a sugar source. For that reason, no parent should tell a diabetic child that he or she can not take part in some sports activity. That then shoots down one of the myths associated with diabetes. What about the other myths? Can parents disregard them as well?

A second myth related to diabetes concerns the future of the female diabetic. At one time a female diabetic was counseled not to have children. That was during the time when measurement of the blood glucose level could not guarantee the accuracy that it does now. Now a female diabetic can become pregnant, as long as she is willing to measure her blood glucose level, and to keep it under control.

A third myth that might reach the ears of a diabetic parent focuses an important aspect of a child’s free time, particularly free time during the summer months. Many children spend all or part of the summer at a camp. The parent of a diabetic might hear that a child with diabetes can not go to a camp during the summer.

That is a myth. It is a myth for two reasons. First of all, there are a number of summer camps that were created for the sole purpose of providing diabetic children with an opportunity to enjoy the summer camp experience. Second, today even many of the regular summer camps have special medical personnel, personnel who have the equipment and training that will allow them to aid a diabetic camper.

Dreams about sports or about a wedding most often fill the minds of a parent. Plans for a child’s exposure to summer camp frequently become part of a family’s summer schedule. Those three things—sports, weddings and summer camp—are the aspects of life most often mentioned in any diabetes myth. Still, some families have other concerns, concerns that need to be addressed by the physician who first diagnoses a diabetic child.

In some families, religion plays an important part of every aspect of family life. In some families religious laws call for the observance of a period of fasting. Yet a diabetic should never go on a fast. Fasting causes the blood sugar level to diminish. The use of insulin is not intended for the fasting individual. A diabetic uses insulin in order to maintain a constant or fairly constant blood sugar level.

For that reason, a diabetic child can not observe a fasting period in the same way as healthy members of a religious family. Parents need to make clear to the child that his or her need to eat during the fasting period does not make him or her any less faithful to whatever beliefs his or her parents accept as the word of God. In fact, God wants his creatures to respect their bodies. A diabetic should therefore not attempt to fast.

Both highly religious and less religious parents need to deal with the fact that there is, at this time, no cure for diabetes. Now, when health insurance receives almost daily mention in the news, the parent of a diabetic must help his or her child deal with the fact that diabetics need to have some type of health insurance. A parent should seek to learn as much as possible about how health insurance firms handle claims from diabetics.

The parent of a diabetic ought to teach his or her child how to be assertive. The diabetic often needs to ask for the right to schedule time for testing or even for eating. A diabetic should not be asked to forego lunch in order to help a company complete some special project. A parent can help a child to prepare for a life of advocacy, advocacy for recognition of the needs of the diabetic.

A parent can help a diabetic child to learn where and how to find answers to any specific question. Awareness of the child’s many possible questions should guide the actions of such a parent.

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Christopher Berry
Diabetic Discussion