A Dad's Perspective - Brandon Started Pumping At Age 8

My son Brandon was first diagnosed 3 1/2 years ago. He is now 9. It was as if my entire world crumbled. How could my gorgeous, precious son be stricken with this disease. At first, I felt sorry for myself, but guilt was the predominate feeling, since there was a history of diabetes in my family. I soon came to realize that my wife's family also had a similar history, but there was no one we could identify with Type 1. We were searching for answers, but none were to be had. As with all challenges in life, we came to accept the hand that g-d dealt us and deal with it the best we could.

Thank g-d for the honeymoon period, because we needed that first year to get adjusted. From day one we believed in tight control and tested frequently. Brandon is a wonderful kid and very compliant.

Fortunately, we have the most wonderful, caring and progressive pediatric endo. She is a g-d send and truly cares for her patients' well being. She is one of the few in the area that aggressively uses the pump. From the moment we learned of the pump, we knew that it would be a wonderful compliment to my son's diabetic maintenance. He too, was anxious to be placed on the pump, because as good as he was, shots are not fun, especially 3x per day.

When our endo felt that Brandon was old enough to deal with the responsibilty of the pump, she recommended that we put him on the pump and about a year ago, he was placed on the Minimed 507. From day one, it was a freeing experience for all of us. No more eating when you don't want to, and of course no longer did he have the food restrictions.

Although we still deal with the occasional highs and lows, my son's personality has changed dramatically for the better and he looks and feels great. Thankfully, his most recent glyco was 6.8.

Although it has been somewhat of an emotional rollercoaster, my son is doing great and I am optimistic about the future.

Respectfully,

A Loving, Concerned Father
Paul Labiner
Txadv@aol.com