Best Buddies Forever

Our Little Mans New Life....With An Insulin Pump.....

We have had a pretty exciting weekend....On Thursday Rylan got to go meet with Stacey, a trainer with Medtronic and we got his insulin pump hooked up....I was so happy to see his eyes light up and his beautiful smile that we have been missing for 2 months now....So far So good...we still have our highs and lows but it has been a huge relief that we don't have to give him a shot of insulin every time he eats and a shot before he goes to bed to make sure he makes it through the night. I still get up with him at midnight and 3am just to double check and make sure his numbers are good. Technology never ceases to amaze me...this little tiny pump that is keeping my little man alive is amazing, how it links with his meter and corrects if he is high and alarms me if he is low...WOW....now in a couple weeks we will attach the continuous glucose monitor, which we are really excited about....

On Saturday we ventured out in the cold with our wonderful friends and family and walked for JDRF to cure type 1 diabetes...it was so, fun and there were so many friendly people there. Our team, Team Rylan, raised $715.00....I was so excited, that was more money then I expected to raise, it just shows how amazing my friends and family are..Jeff, (Rylan's dad) ran the 5k race that morning, we are all so proud of him, he got 7th place for his division and 26 out of all and there were 236 runners....

Now we pray for another good week, And just remember....FAITH MAKES THINGS POSSIBLE NOT EASY

Rylan faces a life long struggle as his pancreas no longer produces the insulin needed to keep him alive. We are able to manage this incurable disease but we cannot control it. Every minute of everyday is a constant balancing act between activities, food, emotions, and insulin...always praying that our hard work will minimize the devastating complications of this disease, but there is no guarantee. Rylan's days of being a carefree child are over. He can't just hop on his bike and go for a ride, or grab a snack ~ He needs to test his blood sugar first. Normal blood sugars run between 70-140 mg/dl...Some days we SUPERSTARS, and some days are bad, and some days are just ugly. High blood sugars make Rylan feel irritable, thirsty, nauseous, and gives him headaches, if left untreated he would develop diabetic ketoacidosis which could eventually lead to death. Insulin is used to treat his highs...Low blood sugars make Rylan feel shaky, confused, lethargic and have blurred vision, if left untreated he could have a seizure leading to a coma and quickly to death. Carbs are usually used to treat his lows, but in am emergency we would use a gluagon shot, we carry it everywhere. Both highs and lows are hard...the daily battles of highs and lows are dangerous and threaten his life everyday...We have to have supplies with us 24/7, meals are planned, even snacks have to be planned. We do this all to prevent or prolong complications later in his life. We are trying to save those beautiful blue eyes, his limbs, his kidneys, his heart, his smile, his spirit, his life...it has been so hard to deal with the everyday stress, just wishing everyday that I could take all his pain away...Not a single day goes by without a prayer for a cure...Insulin is NOT a cure...only a treatment.

Rylan has shown us unimaginable courage and strength, his courage inspires us. So many days are hard, but he goes on. We try to make the best of a very difficult situation...We do not understand God's plan but we have to remember it is ALWAYS good... Jeremiah 29:11 ~ For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you plans to give you hope and a future....

We can NEVER lose HOPE...that a cure will be found...

Before You Read this and Judge Me, I Know! It Could Be Worse, but this is Our Journey to Keep Our Son Alive and Healthy

My baby was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at 10 years old. Rylan was born February 28, 2002. Who would of known from the moment we saw his precious face life would be different for him. We have watched him grow for so many years, he is our first born, he is silly, fun loving, an awesome big brother, loved, he is our blessing....Only 5 to 8 % of ALL diabetes are Type 1, which requires a lifetime of pokes, sticks, and pain. But he is our little fighter-making us better parents. Insulin is NOT a cure, only a treatment to keep our little man alive, there is no cure for him. Diabetes is the 7th leading cause of death in the United States. We will NEVER forget when Rylan's day came, July 30, 2012 at 1:45PM...our world stood still, He had what the doctor called diabetic ketoacidosis. He was admitted to Children's Mercy Hospital, we spent 3 loooong days there.... We had to learn how to take care of him, we learned counting, dosing, injecting, checking, treating, accounting for every activity...We learned that Type 1 Diabetes, generally occurs earlier in life, children incur damage to the beta cells in the pancreas, which produce insulin, so they have an insulin deficiency. Excess body fat DOES NOT cause this type of diabetes, and those with Type 1 diabetes always will require insulin to prevent serious hyperglycemia and life threatening Ketoacidosis. We then realized that we were going to be in a constant state of worry and alert. Diabetes is a 24/7 battle, it never goes away...We have seen many difficulties come his way, but none as difficult as this. We have watched his smile fade, now he has to struggle with the biggest challenge of all. No one deserves this and no matter how hard we could of tried, it could not of been prevented, we will always wonder what caused it.  We do know that Type 1 is NOT caused by eating to much sugar...Diabetes takes his innocence, strips away his childhood and places this heavy burden of life upon his small fingertips. His journey will be long and uncertain. On the outside he looks like a normal kid. Rylan loves to have fun, play basketball, and hang out with his friends, on the inside though, things are different, Every 3 months for the rest of his life, it is back to the team of doctors for more testing, more pokes, more education, more changes, his fingers are already sore and callused, checking his blood sugar 10 to 12 times a day, many times starting at midnight or 3 am.  How do you console a child who depends on insulin shots to stay alive? :'(  Everything he eats and drinks has to be measured, weighed, or calculated and recorded.  While friends and family eat, Ry patiently waits for carbs to be counted, insulin to be dosed and injected - even at school, and he rarely complains, but life is now so hard, especially when he is only 10 years old.