What happens next...
...matters!
You can make a world of difference!
Every day I meet new families devastated by the impact of a type 1 diabetes diagnosis. The disease does so much more than just create a lifelong challenge for the child. It’s impacts ripple out across the whole family and community.
Imagine being the brother or sister of a newly diagnosed child with type 1 diabetes. Worrying every day whether they’ll make it. Watching the worry and fear on mum and dads faces as they face yet another finger prick, another insulin injection, another way they have to harm their child in delivering life-saving medication.
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These are the stories we hear every day. They are real life stories living with the world's most complex self-managed condition.
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The stories we hear are often painful, shocking, scary... but we also hear stories of hope, for we know that when we can reach families and wrap them in the holistic supports of the Type 1 Diabetes Family Centre we can transform lives.
Not only the lives of the child who grows up knowing that type 1 diabetes will not hold them back, but the lives of the entire family, the siblings, the grandparents the mother and father who know that type 1 doesn’t have to consume them. You can support us in our quest to be there for every person living with type 1.
What you do next matters. Please read on to learn how you can make a positive impact.
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Benjamin Jardine | CEO Type 1 Diabetes Family Centre
Franklin's Story
For the first few years of his life Franklin was a happy, carefree kid. But as his 5th birthday approached, something changed. Something that would alter his life, and the life of his mum Rose, dad Andrew, and younger brother Freddie, forever.
Rose explains: “He started having wee accidents...not just normal little kid accidents where they are too busy to go to the toilet or just forget, but fully drenched bed sheets, three times a night without waking up.”
Rose's experience working alongside dialysis patients told her something was off. She feared her young son may have a problem with his kidneys.
“I took him to see a GP, knowing something was not right... We did a blood test, and the following day, the GP called us to bring him back in urgently! At the same time, I needed emergency dental surgery, so Andrew took Franklin to Peel Emergency.”
Once there, Franklin was rushed to Perth by ambulance. “While my baby was transferred to PCH, I was in the dentist’s chair, feeling completely helpless.” ​
Franklin’s glucose levels were off the chart. He was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.
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But for the Newman family, the turning point came when they were introduced to the Family Centre. “Once we saw that families survive with, and moreover thrive in spite of type 1, it was easier to find our flow and get used to our new normal.”
Keira's Story
When she was just 11 years old, Keira Reynolds’ life took a frightening turn. Even now, seven years later, Keira’s mum, Liv Reynolds, vividly recalls the moment.
“We were getting pizza one night, and I told Keira to pick which one she wanted. She looked at me and said, ‘I can't see the picture… it's all blurry!’” Liv and her husband Paul remember being hit with the awful realisation that something was terribly wrong.
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When the family arrived at Emergency, they were warned to brace themselves for a three-hour wait. Instead, Keira was rushed through after the initial check-in.
“Suddenly, there were doctors everywhere,” Liv explains, “We were, like, what’s going on?” The shocking news came swiftly: Keira had type 1 diabetes.
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The initial anxiety was intense. Liv and Paul had countless questions and fears: “What does type 1 diabetes mean? Did we cause this? Are we bad parents? Did we let her drink too much Coke? Was it because she was inactive, playing Xbox too much? Even though we did take her on six-kilometre walks around King’s Park with Pokémon – was that not enough?”
It was only later that they learned there is nothing you can do to prevent this disease.
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However, even at this dark time, the family found unexpected solace. Liv posted about Keira’s diagnosis on Facebook, and a friend introduced her to the Family Centre’s Facebook online community – and some of the community members where in PCH at that time.
Sabine's Story
For the family of 11-year-old Sabine, type 1 diabetes has long been a familiar presence. Her aunt had been diagnosed with type 1 at 19.
Sabine's mother, Louise, had seen how much of the dietary advice given to her sister was not designed for someone living with type 1, and it led to her desire to help change the way type 1 was supported. It inspired Louise to become a dietitian. Little did Louise know that, one day, her mission would be brought even closer to home.
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"Sabine was playing netball on a Friday night, and two mums separately and independently came up and asked me if Sabine had an eating disorder! They told me that they had seen the significant weight loss. At that moment, I knew I needed to do something.
On 14 June last year, Sabine was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.
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The impact on Louise was profound – as it is for so many families facing this diagnosis. Not only did she need to adjust to the shock of her child having this challenging, complex condition, but she needed to arrange for extended leave from work, knowing Sabine would need constant support in the early weeks and months. In some households, the diagnosis is the end of at least one career, with one parent, often the mother, taking on a full-time caring responsibility.
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But when the parent of another child with type 1 reached out to the family, she offered a lifeline. "She (the parent) said: 'Hey we're going to this class at the Family Centre. Does Sabine want to come? Just come and hang out?' I had no idea a place like the Family Centre existed before that," Louise recalls.
This was a turning point for Sabine.
Everyone has a story...
We hear so many stories of both heartbreak and hope each and every week at the Family Centre. You can share your story on our facebook groups or by joining us at a face to face catch up.
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If you or someone you care about are experiencing distress from a type 1 diagnosis, or are seeking support to live well with type 1 diabetes, please reach out by calling us on 08 9446 6446.
Or, if you would like to support us in our mission, please consider donating. Thanks to our generous donors, we continue to bring hope to countless Australians, as we work to bring world class type 1 supports to people across our vast country.
Why Support Us?
When we can reach families and wrap them in the holistic supports of the Type 1 Diabetes Family Centre we can transform lives.
Not only the lives of the child who grows up knowing that type 1 diabetes will not hold them back, but the lives of the entire family, the siblings, the grandparents the mother and father who know that type 1 doesn’t have to consume them.
With the Family Centre receiving no government support our ability to meet these families, our ability to inspire hope, our ability to be there in moments of crisis and despair relies on people like you.
Please help us meet every family impacted by this devastating disease by making a donation by clicking here.
On behalf of each and every person and family impacted by type 1 diabetes, thank you for all of your support for our work, for your compassion and for your willingness to step up to support families struck by this cruel stroke of fate.
How we support the people with type 1
Clinical Supports
Type 1 diabetes is a unique condition. Its causes and treatments differ from other kinds of diabetes. We get that! So our clinical services are designed for people with type 1 and delivered by people who truly 'get' type 1. That means when a person with type 1 visits the Family Centre they can go straight into a clinical appointment without having to explain the condition to their clinician.
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Our clinical services include type 1 diabetes education, dietetics, psychology services and exercise physiology.
Learning and Education
We know that knowledge and educaiton is so important when faced with type 1 diabetes. It is also really hard for people to find the right information when they need it, especially given the stress of the 180 extra decisions type 1 throws at you each day!
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That's why with the generous support of our donors, we have developed a robust and renowned education programme. Our type 1 education includes online learning courses, such as Type 1 Essentials, and the highly regarded Cyber Carbs. Attending our face to face Type 1 Bootcamp will supercharge any person's t1 knowledge, while our clinical teams often host education nights on a range of topics, including cooking, meal preparation and eating disorders.
Community Support
One of the greatest gifts we can give to a person with type 1 is a community of people who 'get' the condition. The importance of community is at the heart of why we were founded almost a decade ago. Today we have a thriving community - our type 1 tribe - both online and offline.
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Thanks to the support of our donors, we have developed a robust online support network with various facebook groups, as well as regular face to face events and activities that bring people with type 1 together. As a community, we've hosted family camps, teen camps, school holiday events, kids cooking classes, coffee catch ups and we even have a podcast, to bring our type 1 message of hope to an Australian audience.
