Living with Type 1 Diabetes

This was a very emotional session for me. The strength of these two little boys is beyond inspiring. I am so excited to share these images and stories with you!

Braden + Coby with their biggest supporters, their little sisters! <3

What it's like to have a child with T1D - told by Braden's mom, Kristina

Being a mom to a child that has a life threatening disease is the hardest job I’ll ever have. Not a moment goes by that I am not thinking about him and wondering if he is okay. It consumes your life in every way. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever imagine taking my 4 year old son to the doctors to be told by our pediatrician who came into the room crying that he had diabetes, and that we needed to go home pack a bag and get to Children’s Hospital in Pittsburgh. I wanted to be strong for him because he didn’t know the change that he was about to have to make, but in the days to follow we learned how we would live the rest of our lives acting as his pancreas. I had a moment of weakness and said to the nurse I honestly don’t think I can do this, what am I going to do, she looked at me and said “honey you are going to do great, he is your child and you will move mountains to keep him healthy and safe” and after that I knew that I had no choice. We are now almost 3 years into our battle and it has gotten easier, but sometimes when I see him struggling, or not feeling well it breaks my heart, but I am his mom so I stay strong and do what I have to so that he knows that no matter what we got this and we will do whatever it is to make sure that he has what he needs.

What it's like to have a child with T1D - told by Coby's mom, Becca

Being a mom comes with so many feelings. I'm sure all moms have the mom guilt and fear of whether or not they're doing it right. Being a mom of a t1d comes with a crazy amount of guilt and fear. Is my son going to wake up in the morning? Is his blood sugar going to go too high or too low and have serious complications? What happens when he goes to college and we're not around every night to make sure he's okay? Is it my fault he's high or low? A million internal questions like these flood my mind 24/7/365 and keep me up at night. Diabetes isn't a joke and it kills me to see my baby having to deal with this. But along with the guilt and fear is a tremendous amount of love and respect. Coby is one of the bravest kids I've ever met. He rarely complains about his diabetes and it doesn't stop him from doing whatever he wants I am so incredibly lucky and proud of him.