The Best Day Ever: How Emmie Found Her T1D Big Sister
By Amanda Gilchrist
My nine-year-old daughter Emmie is creative, determined, enthusiastic, and resilient. Emmie is a book lover, a lacrosse player, and an artist. She also has type 1 diabetes (T1D). T1D is an incurable autoimmune disease that requires lifelong insulin therapy, blood sugar monitoring, and constant management to avoid serious and life-threatening complications.
Emmie was diagnosed with T1D when she was four. Our family had no history of diabetes, and we didn’t know anyone in our community with T1D. Emmie’s face lit up whenever she saw someone with the same “robots” as her (blood glucose monitors and insulin pumps). Seeing others who had T1D just like her made Emmie feel not so alone in her disease.
Becoming part of the T1D community allowed Emmie and the rest of our family a support network connected through shared experiences. While attending a Breakthrough T1D (formally JDRF) community event, Emmie and I met Tricia Sherman. Through Tricia, we learned all about the JBBBS’ T1D Program and Emmie was thrilled about the idea of having a T1D Big Sister. Going out into the world without mom and dad constantly hovering around sounded like Emmie’s dream come true.
Due to Emmie’s T1D, she has not been able to experience the same independence as her peers. Emmie’s dad or I must be at every playdate, every birthday party, every school event. We need to manage her insulin dosing, monitor her blood sugar, and provide life-saving glucagon in the event of an emergency. We feel like it’s too much to ask friends’ families to manage; it’s a huge amount of responsibility and requires extensive training.
A T1D Big Sister would know all about blood sugar management and Emmie was so excited to have someone in her life that understood – someone that wasn’t her parents! Emmie not-so-patiently waited to be matched with a Big Sister, a grown-up who manages T1D just like her. The day Emmie met her Big Sister Ariana was the “Best Day Ever”! And every single Ariana day has continued to be the “Best Day Ever”!
Emmie loved Ariana right away. Ariana is kind, thoughtful, and so committed to being Emmie’s Big Sister. Emmie loves comparing “robots” with her, making plans for outings, and spending as much time together as possible. Ariana and Emmie have been so busy together. During the last year, they have gone to the beach, bowling, movies, lunch dates, mini-golfing, ice cream trips, picnics, library visits, T1D events, birthday parties, ropes course, Toys for Tots shopping, museum visits, tea parties, and ice skating.
Ariana has become a part of our family. Emmie and Ariana FaceTime during holidays and vacations. Ariana joined us at Emmie’s ‘family’ birthday party. She performed in Emmie’s birthday guitar show! Ariana’s mom ran the Boston Marathon, and we cheered her on in person. Emmie gave Ariana’s mom a big hug as she passed by on the course.
I wish every T1D kid had the opportunity to have an Ariana in their lives. I wish all T1D families could experience their child having a mentor that really understands the daily challenges of life with T1D. Emmie has developed such an incredible relationship with Ariana that has increased her confidence and brought joy to her life because of diabetes. We are so thankful for the JBBBS’ T1D Program for bringing Ariana into our lives and giving Emmie so many “Best Days Ever”!
Amanda lives in the Greater Boston area with her daughter Emmie. She is a proud mom of a daughter with T1D who is participating in JBBBS’ T1D program.