"No knowledge about diabetes at all before him being diagnosed" - Says Natasha and probably 90% of us T1 Parents.

Our 3 year old son mateo  became ill in November 2020, what started out as a nappy rash, a trip to the drs and with steroid creams and antibiotics started to clear it up so we thought he was getting better.

A few days later we noticed he was weeing a lot, he had lost weight, he was thirsty all the time and irritable, he just wasn’t himself. 

Saturday 14th November ( world diabetes day ) I took my son to our local hospital as I believed he was dehydrated, Our hospital sent us home they believed he wasn’t dehydrated and to monitor him.

The gave me a urine specimen jar to try to collect a sample, I took him home and got that sample within 10 minutes of leaving and took it straight back.

The dr came to me in the waiting room, and asked did my son have diabetes? I replied no he doesn’t, he said you need to bring him back straight away he has sugar In his urine.

From the minute we brought him back in it was terrifying, he needed canulas and bloods done and we were told he was to be taken an hour away to our region’s largest hospital. There was even mention of flying him to Sydney as he was that sick. His Bsl was reading high, Ketones were 4. Later we found out his bsl was 37, He was borderline DKA we had no idea what that even meant, they decided he was stable enough to go to the closest hospital. From that moment we were bombarded with so much information we didn’t know how we would cope.  After 6 days of being In hospital, we were allowed to go home. 

Every day is a roller coaster, good and bad. We’ve had multiple hospital trips since being diagnosed, my advice to any newly diagnosed parent this is not your fault, nothing you could of done would have prevented this and the support we have received is phenomenal, especially the type 1 foundation. 

- Natasha & Steve (Mateo’s parents)