American Diabetes Association: My Son, My Hero

My Son, My Hero
Thursday, July 5, 2007
By: Toni Skilling

Diagnosed at 9 years old, he was more brave than I ever could have been.

When my son was diagnosed on July 7, 2006, he was 9 years old. As we went through the education process of how to take care of him (and are still going through), I think I was more scared and nervous than he was. From the beginning of me administering his shots, he was brave about taking them, although he had this tremendous fear of needles since he was 4. He tried to not let me see if they hurt him, and for a while, I was the one feeling sorry for him. I thought, "Why him? What had he ever done to deserve this?" And then he told me one day, "This is just my life, mom. This is how it's going to be until they find a cure." So, as I sit here reflecting on how our lives were just one year ago, I am reminded how lucky I am to have such a great son who was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes and who makes me stronger every day. So, until a cure is found, we will fight on and pray and be thankful that we have each other to lean on.