Survivor contestant Nick Iadanza’s daughter diagnosed with type-one diabetes

With a frantic grandmother babysitting, a reality TV show contestant has shared the terrifying moment that shook him to his core after returning home from a night out with his wife.

Soon after the former Australian Survivor contestant’s youngest daughter was diagnosed with type-one diabetes, Nick Iadanza brought his family to a Willy Wonka themed kid’s birthday party.

“Usually you wouldn’t bat too much of an eyelid if you saw your kid grabbing a biscuit or picking up a piece of fruit or some popcorn,” the 36-year-old told The Advertiser.

“But all of a sudden, you look at everything as if it’s a minefield.

“Whatever she eats could be the thing that triggers the next episode.”

The Iadanza family’s life changed in an instant after one-year-old Florence was diagnosed with type-one diabetes (T1D) in late January, after almost falling into a diabetic coma.

While being babysat by her grandmother, Florence started struggling to breathe.

“She had gone completely grey,” the Broadview father-of-three said.

“She was gasping for breath and shaking … she started vomiting all over her room and my mother-in-law.

“It was the scariest night of our life.”

Mr Iadanza and his wife Christine Iadanza drove home and rushed their daughter to the Women’s and Children’s Hospital where they learnt Florence was going into ketoacidosis.

The English teacher said he’d been involved in many medical emergencies but none had been as frightening.

“The utter helplessness of this small child that can’t verbalise,” he said.

“I don’t think I’ll ever forget the way she looked that night … I hate the thought of any parent going through that.

“We tell everyone now, with young kids, the signs to look out for.”

Prior to Florence’s episode, she was refusing food and drinking a lot.

“We also found that she was having lots of wet nappies,” Mr Iadanza said.

Ms Iadanza suspected her daughter had type-one diabetes and booked Florence to see the doctor, but two days before the appointment she suffered the episode that sent her to hospital.

When Florence arrived at the hospital that night, her blood sugar levels were so high they were immeasurable.

“She was right there on death’s door,” Mr Iadanza said.

After doctors and nurses worked for over 30 minutes to try and pump insulin into Florence, eventually they were successful and she was transferred to the ICU.

Then Mr and Ms Iadanza were given the news, there one-year-old daughter had T1D.

“Not only are you trying to grapple with the immediacy of what’s happening in this moment but you’re also trying to grapple with the longevity of what’s going to happen, 10, 20 years down the track,” Mr Iadanza said.

“It was such a weird feeling because I was so in the moment with her … but I was being ripped into two places like her uncertain future and her uncertain present.

“It was a really surreal feeling.”

Since her diagnosis, the family has been navigating their new normal.

Florence was required to take five injections a day, until she was fitted with a patch-style pump which administered insulin as required throughout the day.

“She’s taken to it like a duck to water,” Mr Iadanza said.

“She’ll proudly lift up her stomach when you say, where’s your pump? And she’ll tap it and smile.”

Mr Iadanza hopes advances in technology continue and his daughter can live in a world without T1D.

Originally published as Survivor contestant Nick Iadanza’s daughter diagnosed with type-one diabetes