OUR HERO

One year ago Owen was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. It has been a long journey, and at times very tough. This little guy has been so strong through it all, he truly is blessed from god and he knows this will be his big trial in life, but he will conquer it.

It began with a simple change in his appetite. He began to drink constantly and urinate often. He did not eat as much and grew less happy. I learned from a friend that those are signs of diabetes, however, I did not think it was anything. A few days later we got him in for a routine check up. Figuring this would be a regular well child check, we were in for the biggest surprise of our life. I explained his behavior and how he had been drinking a lot. The doctor tested his blood sugar immediately, came back into the room and said he is most definitely a diabetic. His level was 587, for his age it should be 100-200. She told me I needed to go home and prepare to leave to Primary Children's with in the hour. I did not even know what to say, I think I was in shock. I went home, after talking to Jon, and quietly brought the kids in the house and went up into my room and lost it, it finally hit me. I was crying for a while, trying to get a place for the kids. I could not get a hold of my mom, Jon was on his way home from work, and I had to pack a bag to take my baby to the hospital for a disease that would forever effect his life.

I got the kids taken care of and Jon, I, and Owen loaded in the car and were on our way to the hospital, no clue what we were in for. I must say that I am so grateful for Primary Children's Hospital. They are so amazing. They brought us in and were so cute with Owen. Took us to his room and began right away to care for him and get his sugar levels normal. Jon and I were pushed into a long weekend of classes and learning how to care for Owen. It was a major brain over load.

We learned that Owen would now be on insulin for the remainder of his life. There is no dieting that would help him, he will always need insulin. We would need to learn to count everything he eats and based on what he eats we would have to know how much insulin he would need. Our doctor was amazing and assured us that this was destined to happen to him, and it does not matter how much sugar he has eaten, it was not our fault. Also, it will not matter how much sugar he eats but how many carbs he eats. Which is something I had no clue about.

Owen has been such a little trooper, he is our hero. He has taken this trail in his life and has grown stronger from it. He has never cried at a shot or a poke. He has experienced two siezures, one minor and one granny. I hope no one has to go through that ever! It was the worst thing I have ever seen in my life. He realizes he needs the insulin to feel better and is learning when to let us know when he needs a snack or insulin. He is a typical two year boy, running, playing, sword fighting, teasing, loving and growing. He will hand us his arm for a shot and choose what finger he wants to poke at each meal. He will give you five and pound it after each shot, then say, "I did it!" He is such a joy in our life and has proven that all trials are just a bump in the road. I was worried he would not live a normal life, but I have been assured and seen he will.

Owen Benjamin Talbot, You are our hero. You are strong, courageous, and a great example to your older siblings. We love you!

Your Family