Healthy Living: Living With Juvenile Diabetes

Juvenile diabetes, more commonly referred to as type one diabetes, is a chronic medical condition caused by the body's inability to produce normal levels of insulin
In this Healthy Living, I'll introduce you to a family living with juvenile diabetes.

Connor Floyd is one of the more than three million Americans living with type 1 diabetes

"Doctors don't know how you get it, you usually get it while you are young and it stops your pancreas from making insulin."

Juvenile Diabetes is a constant metabolic condition caused by the body's failure to break down sugars and store them correctly. Type 1 Diabetes is also referred to as Juvenile Diabetes because the onset of it occurs during childhood. For Connor, that means it causes dependence on injected or pumped insulin. His mother says Connor has taken an active role in taking care of his health.

LIsa Floyd:
“Connor does an excellent job. His disease requires a lot of structure and responsibility. You have to carry supplies all the time you have to count carbs all the time. “

"Connor must pay rigorous attention to balancing diet, exercise, and his insulin intake to achieve blood sugar levels as close to normal as possible. He actively counts his carbs with every meal and watches his serving sizes. "

Tim Floyd:
"He has done an excellent job. He is not taking it as a disability . He is doing it as a challenge. When he wants to do something, like soccer, or tennis he finds a way to get it done. That is one of the things that makes me most proud of him. "

Julie Deese says the Juvenile Diabetes impacts not only the lives of the people with the disease but also the lives of the people around them

Julie Deese: "I think it is still hard for the children and the families. over the years, as a diabetes educator, it has improved greatly.They still have to take a lot of injections every day with close monitoring, but they have so much more flexibility that they did not have ten yeas ago. "

"From day one, Lisa has always said. we are going to live with diabetes. we are not going to be sick with it. that is a motto. we have kind of embraced that. as a motto whenever we want to do something, we say we are going to live with this and keep going. "

For Connor, he hopes one day, a cure will be found for diabetes and its complications

"Raise money. Support juvenile diabetes."

Diabetes Healthways at the Medical Center of Central Georgia sponsors a diabetes support group that meets every other month.
For more information, call 478-633-1531.