It’s taken me more than a month to figure out how to share this news. It’s serious and breaks my heart, yet I don’t want to come across as despaired. I hope to warn others but wish to not seem alarmist. And I want to share the challenge confronting my oldest grandson and his parents every single day forever going forward without suggesting I have any doubt they’re up to it.

My daughter, Megan, is so up to it, in fact, that she provided me the perfect tools to kickstart my sharing of the news without racking my brain for the right words, right sentiment. Those tools being the video and graphic below.

See, my grandson Brayden, the active and healthy 12 year old who first made me a grandma, who served as the inspiration for starting Grandma’s Briefs over eleven years ago, was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes in September. A shocking diagnosis that never, ever crossed the minds of anyone who holds Brayden near and dear to their heart. (Which is likely the case when any kid is diagnosed with the life-changing condition, I imagine.)

Brayden, left, not feeling the fun at Great Wolf Lodge the day before his diagnosis. Declan and Camden are, as one would expect, oblivious to their brother’s distress.

According to Megan, Brayden had been seeming a bit “off” for a while, but with Covid negatively impacting so much of kids’ lives, their moodiness and low energy shouldn’t surprise anyone. Then Brayden’s weight loss became worrisome (and noticeable to family friends), along with other “not Brayden” sorts of stuff. Megan arranged an emergency visit to his pediatrician … who responded with an immediate “Get him to the hospital.”

Thank God (!) the problem was caught quickly and Brayden and his parents are on the road to figuring out just what this means … on an hour-to-hour basis … for the rest of Brayden’s life. It’s been a scary and frustrating time for the family. The carb counting, finger pokes, monitor options, insulin injections, rises and drops and middle-of-the-night checks on glucose levels. The learning curve is steep and the consequences dire. But the family is strong. They’ve got this.

Brayden, feeling better, a couple weeks into navigating life with Type 1 Diabetes.

I hate, hate, hate that because of Covid, I’m unable to visit Brayden and give him a big ol’ Gramma hug. But again, he’s got this, Mom and Dad got this, without any hugs or input from me. (Though, <cuss>, it sure would make Gramma feel better.)

I can still make a bit of a difference, though. With you. During, coincidentally, National Diabetes Awareness Month.

As I mentioned above, one reason I want to share this news with grandmothers and others is because Type 1 Diabetes is spiking in kids, and many in the medical community believe Covid may be a factor. (Google “does covid trigger new diabetes” for more info.) Which is why it’s more important than ever for every single grandma to know the signs of T1D in their grandchildren. It’s genuinely a matter of life and death.

So please watch the following video, which Megan shared with me and others. The mother and son experience in it closely resembles that of Megan and Brayden. Do pay special attention to the signs of T1D in children—which are distressingly easy to dismiss—as well as the potentially fatal consequences of missing them. Brayden was incredibly fortunate. Too, too many kids aren’t.