Seeing her lifeless body and begging her to wake up is a trauma I won't forget

"I wish I had just Googled her symptoms so we might've avoided the very real possibility of losing her." 

“When she started childcare in 2022, we found she was catching every winter virus and was unwell for months, and as a result, she started to lose weight,” mum Kimmie tells Kidspot about the early symptoms her daughter Priya had before she was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes (T1D) at just two-years-old.

After multiple bouts of tonsillitis, her doctor suggested to have her tonsils removed.

“It was during her recovery from her tonsillectomy that we saw a drastic change in Priya,” says Kimmie. “She became very thirsty and was wetting through her 12-hour nappies within an hour. She wasn't eating, began vomiting and was lethargic and sleeping a lot.”

It was on the 10th-day post-surgery that Kimmie and her husband, Chet, found Priya unresponsive on the playroom floor...and later learned she was in diabetic ketoacidosis and was diagnosed with T1D.

Want to join the family? Sign up to our Kidspot newsletter for more stories like this. 

Image: Supplied

RELATED: ‘Being told to sit at the front of the class made him sicker’

"Life as we knew it changed forever that day"

Witnessing their toddler go through such pain without being able to communicate fully was heartbreaking, says Kimmie.

She explains, “It was really tough. She was miserable and had no way to tell us as she was also recovering from surgery, so she had no voice and little energy left as her body was fighting to survive.”

The trauma from this period, and particularly the DKA/diagnosis day, is something she says will live with her for the rest of her life. 

“It was unfortunate that all of her symptoms were able to be attributed to her recovery from surgery. Otherwise, I like to think I would have picked up my phone and Googled the symptoms and possibly realised they were all, in fact, symptoms of Type 1 Diabetes.

"We might have avoided the trauma and very real possibility of almost losing Priya.

“Seeing her lifeless body and watching her fight for her life in ICU felt like an out-of-body experience, and I remember just sitting there in the hospital for hours after willing her to wake up.”

Image: Supplied

RELATED: ‘He fell at the park… then our nightmare began’

“Life as we knew it changed forever that day in hospital. Our lives were completely dictated by diabetes management as we learned the ropes. We needed to keep a very precise eating schedule and everything Priya ate or drank had to be carefully measured and calculated so we could inject her with the appropriate amount of insulin.  

“When she was first diagnosed, she wasn't wearing a continuous blood glucose monitor yet, so we had to check her levels around the clock through finger pricks.”

The couple essentially put their life on hold while adapting to their new normal. “The adjustment period took quite some time, but eventually, we found our rhythm and learned not to fear diabetes,” she says.

“We learnt that no two days with diabetes are the same, particularly for a growing toddler. Once we learnt to accept that things will never be perfect, we could start to live our lives again; never the way it was before, but in a new way where we are confident that we are keeping Priya safe and well and, most importantly, happy.”

Introducing our new podcast: Mum Club! Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts so you never miss an episode.

The cutting-edge technology

For the past three months, Priya, now four, has been using an Omnipod Dash device, which has been a game-changer for the family.

“Having automated technology to help manage her levels will be incredibly beneficial for Priya’s overall BGLs as well as her long-term health. It will also give me the peace of mind as her primary carer that she is safe, and it will help take away some of the mental strain that comes with Type 1 parenting, " Kimmie says.

“I haven't had a full night's sleep in the 18 months since she was diagnosed, and I'm hopeful once she's on the Omnipod 5 upgrade that's coming, that her levels will start to become more manageable.”

"You aren't alone"

The number one thing Kimmie wants to tell other parents of Type 1 kids is that they aren't alone. 

“There is an amazing online community of parents here in Australia and around the world that understand the complexities and challenges of living with and caring for a young person with T1D,” she says. 

“Priya and I spend a lot of our time advocating through her Instagram account to help raise awareness and to reduce the stigma that comes with T1D. 

“To the newly diagnosed, I know it's hard and it feels like your world is falling apart, but it will get better. It won't be easy, but you'll learn to live your life again. Your child can do anything they put their minds to, and T1D won't dictate what they can and can't do.”

Originally published as Seeing her lifeless body and begging her to wake up is a trauma I won't forget