When a family is admitted to the hospital, facing a type 1 diabetes diagnosis for their child, the fear and uncertainty can be overwhelming. The initial diagnosis is followed by a few days spent in the hospital stabalizing their childs blood sugar and receiving education. Many children enter the hospital in diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), a serious complication where the body produces excess blood acids, a child in DKA is fighting for
their life and will most likely be sent directly to the PICU for care. If the family is lucky, like ours, they arrive at the hospital prior to DKA, these families will also be admitted to the hospital for a few days to help normalize their childs blood
sugar and receive education. Insulin injections and blood sugar checks via finger pokes begin immediately after diagnosis, it is a complete whirlwind. Type 1 diabetes, to most, is foreign and even for those who have knowlegde of it learn rather quickly that their understanding of it only scratches the surface of the
scope of care it requiers. Education within the hospital begins quickly, it is a crash course in how to keep your child safe after being discharged. Retaining any of this information is extremely difficult after being thrust into a life altering diagnosis for their child. To help prepare the family while in the hospital, each family visits with an endocrinologist, Certified Diabetic Care and Education Specialist (CDCES), a nutritionist,
and a social worker. The endocrinolgist and CDCES meet with the family to discuss care specifically related to diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is directly affected by food, specifically carbohydrates, the family meets with a nutritionist to learn how to count carbohydrates in the foods they eat. They may discuss what foods could be considered "free snacks", how to read nutrition labels, how to measure and weigh portions, and finally how to dose insulin appropriately according to these factors and their childs specific insulin needs. Finally, the family will meet with a social worker who will help ensure the family is prepared to go home with the abilitly to care for their child appropriately, this includes ensuring the family has a support system at home, is able to afford medications, and is prepared to work with the childs school to ensure a safe learning enviroment. All of this education occurs in about a 48 hour window, culminating with a test prior to discharge. Just
reading through that was overwhelming, now imagine living it! While all of this information is pertinent, leaving the hospital feeling prepared is not exactly what it provides. Our mission at Bolus 341 is to help ease the stress for families in this situation. After facing our own type 1 diagnosis for our daughter in 2022, we know first hand the feeling of helplessness and the overwhleming stress parents feel
after leaving the hospital. To mark our daughters one year diaversary (a term used for the date one was diagnosed with diabetes) as a family we put together a basket for a newly diagnosed family, filled with the items we found to be invaluable those first few days and weeks. Preparing the basket alone was a fulfilling and rewarding experience but following a hearfelt email from the family who received our very first basket our daughter questioned if there was more we could do. Bolus 341 is in the process of aquiring offical 501(c)3 status, we aim to provide baskets of strength to families following a type 1 diabetes diagnosis. Our baskets of strenth are provided to families while in the hospital following diagnosis at no cost to them and include many of the items that may help make the first few days and weeks home a easier.
