My son Khaliq was diagnosed April 9, 2013 just a few days shy of his 8th birthday. He had been sick for several days with what we thought was a common stomach bug. You see he has three other brothers so when one gets sick… They all get sick. After over 48 hours of watching my son continue to get sick and get weaker and weaker we decided a trip to the pediatrician was our next move. From that moment on our lives will never be quite the same. My son was rushed from the doctors office to the ER at a neighboring hospital and then forwarded yet again to University of Virginia hospital where he was diagnosed and admitted into the pediatric ICU with diabetic keto-acidosis. We spent the next week and a half caught up in a whirl wind of chaos. As a mother I think I ran through every emotion in the book on a daily basis. First sadness and fear followed by anger and confusion. We are three weeks young into our new life style and life continues to throw us curve balls. We can’t get his BG’s regulated, we are fighting with our insurance about NOT wanting to cover his supplies and meds, and our bodies are severely sleep deprived and tired. Through it all my son has been my inspiration. I look at him and his tiny little body and wonder how he does it. He has such a zest for life. He runs and plays and never even acts as if he has a care in the world with the exception of one constant question…. He wants to be a professional athlete and he keeps asking over and over if he is still going to be able to play ball when he grows up. Although I sleep no more because I am watching HIS chest rise and fall as I pray over his sick little body, I know that he is strong and a fighter. Khaliq continues to participate in his Competition Hip Hop group and he plays football and basketball as well. My son is smart, lovable and determined that Type 1 Diabetes WILL NOT defeat us. He is truly my Superhero in an 8 year old body <3
