Delve into the world of type 1 diabetes in teens with the help of actress Mary Mouser and four incredible teenagers who talk about how the condition has affected their lives. Created as part of the JDRF Bag of Hope, which is given at no charge to newly diagnosed families, the video aims to reassure other type 1 teens that they are not alone, and that they are more than capable of achieving all their goals and dreams regardless of their diabetes diagnosis.
Want to explore our free-of-charge resource pack for newly diagnosed teens and their families? Visit jdrf.org/get-support/bag-of-hope.
Actress Mary Mouser was first diagnosed with type 1 diabetes (or T1D) when she was just 13 years old. Like many type 1 teens, she was shocked and worried about the way T1D would affect her life, hobbies, and career. She soon discovered that she was not the only one.
Shock and uncertainty are two common emotions among people diagnosed with diseases like diabetes. But as Mary quickly learned, type 1 diabetes in teens will only hold you back as much as you let it.
To expand on the discussion of teenagers and diabetes, Mary is joined in the video by Carlos, Jessica, Eloise, and Jack. Each of these teens was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when they were still children, and each went through a rollercoaster of emotions and trial and error before reaching a point where they were comfortable with themselves, their condition, and the fact that they are no different than any other teens their age.
Recognizing the signs of diabetes in teenagers is a crucial responsibility for parents, as most kids their age don’t know what diabetes is, much less how it could affect their health.
Some of the most common signs of diabetes in teens include:
- Unexplained weight loss
- Fatigue
- Irritability
- Blurry vision
- Unusual hunger
- Increased thirst
- Unusually frequent urination
- Fruity smell on their breath
As a parent or teenager, noticing any of these symptoms in yourself or someone else should spur you to get a medical diagnosis or recommend a doctor’s visit to the person you’re concerned about.
As much as a type 1 diabetes diagnosis can be a life-changing event, it doesn’t have to change your entire life.
When he was first diagnosed, Carlos believed his life was over. He assumed type 1 diabetes would keep him from participating in sports, eating the food he liked, and doing the things he enjoyed. Luckily, he soon realized that none of these things were made impossible by his diagnosis. They were only made impossible by his mindset. The only difference was he now needed to take a few extra precautions when doing something that would affect his blood sugar levels, like snacking on candy or playing a hard sport.
Unsurprisingly, all the teens in this video found this difficult to adapt to. Learning to anticipate the changes in your blood sugar and to adjust the amount of insulin you take accordingly can take time and quite a few mistakes to get right.
But across the board, the message is clear. Just because you are a teen diagnosed with type 1 diabetes does not mean you can’t do or achieve the same things anyone else can. It just means you can do all those things while paying a little more attention to your health.
Learn more about JDRF here: www.jdrf.org/
If you have a teen or our a teen with Type 1 Diabetes, you can visit www.jdrf.org/t1d-resources/ne... for more information.