Could Your Child Save Your Life?

Teaching Children What to Do in a Diabetes Emergency

When we think about teaching young children, we usually think about colors, numbers, and the alphabet.

But sometimes, there are other lessons that become just as important.

My first husband, Robbie, had diabetes. He was diagnosed with type I diabetes when he was just four years old.

Like many people with diabetes, he occasionally experienced severe episodes of low blood sugar. There were times his blood glucose dropped below 40 mg/dL, leaving him confused, unable to think clearly, and unable to help himself.

As a registered nurse, I understood how serious severe hypoglycemia could be.

As a wife and mother, I also knew something else.

I couldn't be home every minute of every day.

Because I worked outside the home, our daughters needed to know what to do if Daddy became very sick.

My eldest was only three and a half years old in 1993.

The other was just one year old.

People might think they were too young.

They weren't.

We practiced using the family phone at home.

We taught them how to call 911.

We taught them their full names.

We taught them our address by putting it into a simple song.

We taught them where Mommy worked.

Most importantly...

We taught her not to be afraid to ask for help. 

The first time we practiced, she accidentally completed the 911 call. The dispatcher called us right back. I explained that we were teaching our little girl what to do in an emergency, and they were very understanding. I never regretted making that practice call, because one day the practice became real.

Robbie's blood sugar dropped so low that he could no longer help himself. Our little girls did exactly what we had practiced. They called for help.

As frightening as that moment was, I will always be thankful that we had prepared before the emergency happened.

Preparation Is an Act of Love

If you live with diabetes, ask yourself:

• Would my child know what to do?

• Would they know how to call 911?

• Do they know our address?

• Do they know my full name?

• Would they know who to call if they couldn't reach me?

• Do they know where emergency glucose is kept?

• Would they recognize the signs that something is wrong?

Teaching children these skills IS NOT about frightening them.

It's about giving them confidence.

Just as we teach children how to dial 911 if there's a fire, we can also teach them what to do if someone they love has a medical emergency.

Those few minutes of preparation may someday make all the difference.

Faith

God has entrusted us with caring for one another.

Sometimes that means preparing our children—not to live in fear, but to know that when something unexpected happens, they are not helpless.

Preparation cannot prevent every emergency, but it can replace panic with purpose. And sometimes, that peace is one of God's greatest gifts.

"Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it."

— Proverbs 22:6 (NKJV)And peace is a gift.