Ocean Grove mum Shae Billington on son Ollie’s diabetes battle

The mother of a diabetic one-year-old from Ocean Grove has revealed she almost lost her son after multiple GPs dismissed her concerns because he was “too young”.

Shae Billington with one-year-old son Ollie Billington who has type one diabetes. Photo: Brad Fleet.

The mother of a diabetic one-year-old from Ocean Grove says she almost lost her son in a nightmarish ordeal after multiple GPs dismissed her concerns.

Ollie Billington was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at just 14-months-old.

Alarm bells sounded for Ollie’s mum Shae Billington when he started drinking and urinating excessively and became lethargic a month prior to his diagnosis.

“I flagged it with a few GPs, and they all said he was too young for diabetes,” she said.

According to Mayo Clinic, type 1 diabetes typically appears at two noticeable peaks, between ages four and seven and 10 and 14.

“A big reason for sharing Ollie’s story is to spread awareness, because while he is young and it is uncommon, doctors shouldn’t dismiss the possibility of diabetes,” Ms Billington said.

Ollie Billington was diagnosed with type one diabetes at 14-months-old. Photo: Brad Fleet.

The mother-of-one recalled the fear she felt during a family trip to Warrnambool in September when Ollie suddenly became unwell.

“We ended up in the emergency room and the doctor finally listened to me and checked,” she said.

“It turned out he was suffering from severe diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), which is where their body starts to shut down.

“He almost didn’t make it through.”

Ms Billington said she was in a state of “shock” following the incident.

“The doctors had to act really quickly to get him stabilised … it’s all a bit of a blur,” she said.

“It took us a few weeks to get our heads around it all, because it kind of felt like you were living a nightmare.”

Ollie Billington was rushed to the emergency room with severe diabetic ketoacidosis. Photo: Supplied.

Due to his size and the severity of his condition, Ms Billington said Ollie was transported to the Royal Children’s Hospital before returning to Geelong hospital days later, where he has received ongoing treatment since.

She said Barwon Health has been “absolutely phenomenal” at helping Ollie live a normal life.

“We walk in and feel like we’re walking into home,” she said.

“Everyone knows Ollie, even the cleaners, they’re the most beautiful bunch of people.

“As much as our journey has been hard and no one wants their child to go through something like this, we couldn’t be more grateful for the hospital and what they’ve done for us.”

While daily management of Ollie’s condition is “constant”, Ms Billington said the one-year-old takes it in his stride.

“He’s just a trooper … he’s just the most resilient little kid and makes everything easy,” she said.

“Diabetes is quite a complex condition … you can’t just take a simple tablet in the morning and be done.

“There’s so much we have to manage and the training behind it can be quite overwhelming.

“But the nurses were there for us straight away.

“They worked with us the whole time to upskill us and make sure we were comfortable to go home.”

Heading into the holidays, Ms Billington said she felt beyond grateful to be able to celebrate with her family.

“We are so excited about Christmas this year … especially because Ollie is older and is able to get involved,” she said.

The Barwon Health Foundation is hoping to raise $250,000 this festive season through its Wish Upon A Star Appeal to fund vital medical equipment to support sick children and babies like Ollie.

To donate and learn more about the appeal, visit www.barwonhealthfoundation.org.au.

Originally published as Ocean Grove mum Shae Billington on son Ollie’s diabetes battle