At the age of six, Janet Cronstedt's daughter, Sara, was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. As parents, we know that this type of news can bring with it so much fear, stress, and worry about the future. But as Janet puts it, Sara has always been stronger than the struggle. According to Janet, when she was just six weeks short of delivering her third child, the diagnosis came in for Sara, confirming that she indeed had Type 1 Diabetes and needed to be admitted into the hospital. The family began a journey embarking on something that no parent ever expects to. |  |
After five days in the hospital, Sara had mastered insulin injections. By the time they got home from her hospital stay, Sara understood her diabetes diagnosis and began to educate her entire family about what she could and could not eat. As a family, they treated this diagnosis as a family disease, and began eating, treating, and managing Sara's new lifestyle as a family effort.
"Sara did a better job in managing her diagnosis is than I did. I was fearful, she was not", says Janet. When Sara was diagnosed the availability of pumps to help with managing the disease was not like it was today, and Janet remembers giving her daughter up to 6 shots per day. "Sara became an adult at 7 years old and that was always hard for me as a mother," says Janet. Sara never let the illness define her, who she was, or what she believed she could do. She was active in sports, dance, and regularly attended events with her friends and family.
At age 12, Sara was chosen to be one of The Pump Girls, a group of teenage girls, all diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes, ranging from age 12 to 15, supporting PADRE, Pediatric Adolescent Diabetes Research and Education Foundation. The group was formed to bring awareness to the disease, encourage others who were dealing with it, and help with fundraising for those who could not afford a pump. Janet recalls traveling with Sara for performances, interviews, and television appearances. "She was not letting this thing stop her, and I was in complete amazement of how she continued to push through each day", says Janet.
 | November is Diabetes Awareness Month and we need to continue to bring awareness to the disease, disseminate information, support, and bring hope to all those who battle with this diagnosis. Janet's now thirty-seven-year-old daughter has suffered many complications as a result of diabetes, including three strokes, a heart attack, double bypass surgery, coronary artery disease, a kidney transplant, loss of vision in one eye, and other continued diabetic setbacks and challenges. But as Janet says, Sara continues to amaze her every day at just how strong she truly is. |
I asked Janet if there was anything, in particular, she would like other parents to know, and here is what she said:
Find a good pediatrician to work with, one that will partner with you.
Janet says her relationship with their doctor was key in giving Sara all the support she needed. He wanted to be sure Janet worked to teach Sara to be independent and not give in to the disease. "He always said to me, Janet, she is not diabetes, she has diabetes. We will work together to not let the disease define her."
Don't be afraid to ask for help
Janet said this is where she struggled the most. She always felt like as the mom she was doing something wrong or needed to figure it all out on her own. Reaching out to other parents, support groups, and friends is vital. Getting involved with community and groups like Juvenile Diabetes Research Fund, (JDRF), will help you with managing the information you need to support your child.
Embrace where you are on this journey
For Janet, Sara's diagnosis meant a family diagnosis. "You have to get to the place where you can say, my daughter has diabetes," says Janet. "It can be hard on a family, on a marriage, but if you embrace it instead of fear it, together, it will make the journey easier to manage."
Believe that your child can handle this
You will have to find balance in teaching them independence and how to take their diagnosis seriously. But by no means never give them the sense that they can not handle this diagnosis. Be open, talk with them, and help them make the decisions necessary to stay healthy.
Janet is a mother of three beautiful children, an experienced corporate executive, a business coach, consultant, and founder of Awakening Worth. In her spare time, she runs to raise money and awareness for JDRF, in honor of her daughter, Sara.
