T Plus One

Many of you probably thought about a rocket launch and the countdown.  When NASA launches a rocket, the countdown starts and is typically marked with “T minus 2 minutes”, etc.  Once liftoff occurs, you switch to the plus side of the countdown.

Today marks T Plus 1 year for the Clayton family.  When Kyle was diagnosed with Type I diabetes on January 31, 2000, many in the diabetes “club” talked of a cure being found within 10 years.  Well, that came and went last year and we are still dealing with Kyle’s diabetes. 

Am I bitter – maybe, but not too much.  Yes, I would give my islets (inside joke) for him to be cured, but what will that cure look like?  Eleven years ago, I thought a cure would be that Kyle would take a shot or IV and then, BOOM; he’s cured – no more shots, no more finger sticks.  But today, Kyle is on an insulin pump which puts insulin into his body continually and allows up to dial up more insulin based upon what he eats.  All this is done through an infusion site which he changes once every three days.  There is also a Continuous Glucose Monitor (we don’t use) which is inserted under the skin and provides glucose readings once a minute and even has alarms for low or high glucose trends.  Clinical trials are occurring which pair these two devices and let them “talk” to each other; creating an artificial pancreas.  If this could be available, is this what the cure looks like?  Maybe not in the traditional sense, but close. 

I look back on what our diabetes regime was when Kyle was diagnosed.  He was on two types of insulin (Humalog & Ultralente) which required 5 daily injections (at a minimum).  We checked his blood sugar with a meter that took a very large drop of blood.  We then would calculate his insulin dose using an insulin to carb ratio which we calculated ourselves.  Today, his is on the insulin pump with one type of insulin.  His meter calculates his dose based upon his reading and communicates with his pump via infrared signal. 

Yes, we have come a long way, but there is still work to be done.  The Clayton family became a member of a club that no one wants to be in eleven years ago.  Though we didn’t want to be in it, we have met some great people in this club who have blessed our lives.  Whether it is the great medical staff at Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital and the Eskind Diabetes Center, the great staff at the Middle Tennessee JDRF chapter, the Type I kids and their parents, the JDRF friends we have met nationwide, or the faceless names of folks I have e-mailed on the web; all are great people who have blessed our family.  I wish I had never met them, but I am glad that they were, and are, there.

Let’s not let number get too high on the “plus” side of T.

Zach, a Type I parent and a Tennessee Squire

A Decade

A decade. As most know, a decade is defined as a period of ten years. Today marks the end of a decade for me and my family.

At noon on January 31, 2000, Dr Jennifer Najjar altered our lives forever with the words "Kyle has diabetes." "Isn't that what old people get?", "what did we do?", "can he get rid of it?", and "how will this impact his life?" These were some of the thoughts going through Momma Squire & I's mind that day. Kyle was diagnosed with Type I (juvenile) diabetes when he was just 18 months old. Ever since that day ten years ago, he has had to have insulin injected into his body in some form or fashion. That is 3,653 days of watching what he eats, monitoring blood sugars (minimum of 5 finger sticks a day), counting carbs, and dosing insulin. While I would give anything for Kyle not to have endured this, some blessings have come from this. Sound strange? Let me explain it on two different fronts.

First, when Kyle was diagnosed, we both were working full-time jobs, running crazy, and our idea of eating in was ordering pizza. Lori had quit her job @ HCA to go to work in a bank branch for less pay (35%), but more potential (bonus). I think that step down in pay was God's way of preparing us for what was coming. When Kyle was diagnosed, Lori quit her job to stay home and take care of Kyle. Thankfully, we had taken that intermediate step down in pay so it wasn't like suddenly stopping from 70 mph; it was more like stopping from 40 miles mph. Kyle's diagnosis slowed us down and made us focus inward on what was really important - our family.

Secondly, when Kyle was diagnosed, I heard about an organization called Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF). We immediately got involved by walking in JDRF's annual Walk to Cure Diabetes that fall. Ever since that day, Lori & I have volunteered with JDRF on the local, regional, and national level. We have met people who have become life-long friends by working side-by-side for a cure. These friendships were forged by having a common bond and we have leaned on each other through the years and we are the richer for it. We have met medical professionals who have dedicated their lives to helping find a cure and caring for those with Type I until that cure is found.

Speaking of cures, when Kyle was diagnosed, we were told that a cure would probably be here within 10 or so years. Well, we are now on the "so" part of that expression because right now, Kyle's insulin pump is putting insulin into his body as he sleeps. Honestly, my idea of a "cure" has changed over the last decade. I believe there won't be a "magic" pill or potion and "poof", Kyle's diabetes is gone. I think it will take multiple steps to finally realize the cure. A cure could even be in the form of an artificial pancreas. Who knows?

God has blessed us in so many ways in addition to those mentioned above. Yes, it is a nasty disease that keeps everyone on their toes, but when Kyle was diagnosed, God helped us with that as well. The only bed that was available for Kyle at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital was on the oncology (cancer) floor. Kyle was the "wellest" baby there. Daily we would hear parents wail as physicians told parents bad news regarding their children and we would see very sick children in the halls. We realized that most of these kids would not be going home with their parents - ever. Our Kyle would get to go home and live a full life.

A decade does make a lot of difference.

Zach, A Tennessee Squire