Sophia was diagnosed on January 17, 2011 and it was one of the worst days of our lives. She had been drinking a lot more water than normal and, subsequently, had been going to the bathroom more frequently. Because of our relationship with Jack Lofquist, we knew that these were some of the symptoms of type 1 diabetes. A visit to the doctor quickly confirmed what we already feared - Sophia had type 1 diabetes - an uncurable but treatable disease. Our world was quickly turned upside down and inside out not only as parents but as a family. We received a crash course in Diabetes care and continue to learn how to manage her health.
We wanted nothing more than for this not to be true. Constant prayers didn't really seem to help, so we had to change what we were praying for. We knew the diagnosis was not going to change, so we had to ask God to help us through this time and to teach us how to be the best care givers we could possibly be not only to Sophia but to Isabella and Beau, too.
Doctors, nurses and others kept telling us that her life could still be normal? Normal? This disease is everything but normal. It wasn't until we went to Disney World over spring break that we had a break through - we can still do things we normally do - just with some major modifications and planning.
It's taken nearly eight months to accept this diagnosis and there are days and times when we still can't believe it's true but we keep marching on. If we spend too much time hating diabetes, diabetes will win every time and we don't want that.
Sophia has been journaling about her feelings and we came across this entry: Diabetes = Family = Love. That keeps us going...and going...
- Amy and Sam Veit
