{"id":9084,"date":"2022-08-08T19:12:24","date_gmt":"2022-08-08T23:12:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/type1support.ca\/grieving-a-diabetes-free-life-for-your-child\/"},"modified":"2026-02-18T09:54:52","modified_gmt":"2026-02-18T14:54:52","slug":"grieving-a-diabetes-free-life-for-your-child","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/type1support.naracreative.com\/en\/grieving-a-diabetes-free-life-for-your-child\/","title":{"rendered":"Grieving a Diabetes-Free Life for Your Child"},"content":{"rendered":"

When a child gets a type 1 diabetes (T1D) diagnosis, the news can be unsettling to both the child and their parents. The diagnosis usually follows a sudden onset of symptoms (e.g., thirst, weight loss, frequent urination) or unusual behaviour (e.g., fatigue, restlessness). These symptoms can be a cause for concern for the family, but are often underplayed at first (e.g., \u201cIt must be a growth spurt!\u201d) or misdiagnosed (e.g., mistaken for stomach flu or stress). If left untreated, they eventually lead to diabetic ketoacidosis and more serious symptoms (e.g., vomiting), until the diagnosis of type 1 diabetes is confirmed.<\/p>\n

While it may be a relief to understand what caused the symptoms and the unusual behaviour in the first place, the diagnosis also represents a harsh reality: your child\u2019s life will never be the same again, and there\u2019s no roadmap for this new adventure they\u2019re embarking on.<\/p>\n

Reorganizing your family life<\/strong><\/h2>\n

It\u2019s almost impossible to understand and imagine what life with T1D is like unless you experience it. Once you do, the (false) idea that T1D is \u201cnot a big deal\u201d and easily managed by avoiding this or that food, or being more active, quickly gets thrown out the window.<\/p>\n

Right after the diagnosis, you get saddled with many care requirements (e.g., checking blood sugar levels, administering insulin) at all hours of the day and night, and the weight of the mental load associated with managing T1D (e.g., worrying about not doing this \u201cright\u201d and causing potential complications, managing medical appointments).<\/p>\n

Some aspects of your family life need to be reorganized around a new daily routine and new responsibilities (e.g., who will take time off to go to appointments, who will be in charge of T1D-related tasks), while taking into consideration everyone\u2019s emotions. All of a sudden, you become your child\u2019s \u201ccaregiver,\u201d and that sometimes involves causing pain (e.g., measuring capillary blood sugar, injecting insulin) or enforcing limits (e.g., when they\u2019ve had enough candy, when they need to get out of the pool because the sensor is peeling off or because their pump has been disconnected for too long).<\/p>\n

For some time after the diagnosis, many questions will arise, and some of them will remain unanswered. A lot of parents feel like they\u2019re alone in the world with a child who is \u201cdifferent,\u201d feel guilty or ashamed, experience stigma and feel deserted by their loved ones or emotionally overwhelmed.<\/p>\n

Connecting with your emotions<\/strong><\/h2>\n

With everyone having their own unique perception of diabetes, each family member will welcome the news of the diagnosis in a different way. Studies show that the parents\u2019 reaction is not necessarily connected with their child\u2019s.<\/p>\n

Some parents will feel the need to talk about their emotions, while others will keep to themselves.<\/p>\n

The T1D diagnosis is often associated with a feeling of loss\u2014loss of spontaneity, loss of freedom, loss of health\u2014and a wide range of emotions for parents (e.g., anger, confusion, sadness, unfairness, hopelessness).<\/p>\n

It\u2019s completely normal<\/strong><\/p>\n

Some parents may reflect a calm and positive attitude for their child\u2019s sake\u2014or because they repeatedly get told that there\u2019s no other choice but to be positive\u2014, but it\u2019s not always possible, or useful. In some cases, burying your emotions can only work for so long before the pressure becomes too intense and emotions overflow. In addition, it might be invalidating for your child to always see a positive attitude when they\u2019re having a hard time, and they might feel like a failure. Validating your child\u2019s feelings (e.g., \u201cYes, I know it\u2019s hard,\u201d \u201cYes, it\u2019s a lot to manage at your age\u201d) will help them to feel understood and to know that their situation is taken seriously. From there, you can develop a coping strategy together.<\/p>\n

The stages of grief<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Following the diagnosis, most parents go through several emotional stages similar to the stages of grief<\/a>. Rather than grieving the loss of a loved one, they\u2019re grieving life as it was before and the hopes they had for their child\u2019s future.<\/p>\n

Grief takes many forms. The stages mentioned here serve mostly as reference points; they don\u2019t describe a linear process that everyone should experience the same way.<\/p>\n

Not to mention that life can sometimes force us to go through some of these stages more than once.<\/p>\n