Stand by Charlotte: A Brave Little Fighter

Hi friends,

It feels uncomfortable to say we could use some help but the reality of Charlotte’s diagnosis is Type 1 diabetes is very expensive and will require a lot of follow ups and medical supplies.

What started as a checkup for a few concerns Thursday ended in a two-day hospital stay that’s turned our lives upside down. Our Charlotte girl has been complaining of stomach aches and headaches for a few weeks, so we took her to see what was going on. The pediatrician checked her blood sugar and told us to go to the Children’s hospital immediately. Her blood sugar was 354, twice the normal range. I stood in disbelief because she wasn’t sick; she was her silly, giggly normal self. We rushed to Brenners where they began running blood work. Charlotte handled getting an IV better than a grown man would. After a few hours, we had an endocrinologist team telling us we were being admitted to confirm their diagnosis. Charlotte was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease that can occur at any time in life but often presents in children. It happens when the body is fighting a virus and mistakenly attacks the beta cells in the pancreas that produce insulin. As the remaining cells fight to keep up, they tire out and die off altogether. When this typically happens, kids end up in the ICU with diabetic ketoacidosis, which is a buildup of sugar in the blood that is life-threatening. We’re praising God that we were able to catch it before it became critical. Charlotte will have to monitor her blood sugar levels and will be insulin-dependent for the rest of her life.

It has been an emotional roller coaster, life-changing experience, but Charlotte has handled everything with so much grace, bravery, and resilience. While we’ve been clinging to 2 Timothy 1:7, she has been the toughest little fighter I’ve ever seen. I am blown away by how well she has taken every painful step. She has had a smile on her face, and her room was full of laughter. We have a very long road ahead of us as we navigate doctor’s visits, daily injections, and medications. She will still get to be a kid, and we’ll make sure this won’t hold her back in any way. We are committed to being her biggest cheerleaders in every way we can. It’s so painful to watch your little baby have to endure so much at such a young age, but she has already adapted so much in such a short time. She is nothing short of incredible. In just three short days, she’s already accepted she needs shots with every meal and has even been showing her sissy how brave she is for every prick and injection. She hasn’t shed a tear during testing or giving insulin since day 2.

I’m so incredibly thankful for my husband, who has been our strongest support through the hardest days of my life. He has been Charlotte’s comforter, advocate, and has done everything in his power to help her adjust, laugh, and understand what’s happening. I would’ve been completely broken without him holding us up.

While we don’t understand why this is happening, we know God is sovereign. He is good, He loves and made Charlotte, and will give all of us the strength for the days ahead. We praise Him for His grace, goodness, and provision.

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. Romans 8:18

The days ahead will be full of appointments, medications, injections, soon a continuous monitor that will be changed twice a month, and hopefully eventually an insulin pump. Thomas will be taking off work to be present for all of our appointments that will average 3-4 hours and I will be closing the bakery until things settle. We don’t love asking for help but if you would like to help in any way we would really appreciate it. From the bottom of our hearts thank you for all of the prayers, calls, visits, and gifts everyone has showered our family with.