I will never forget Father's Day 2007. We had made the 3 hour trip to visit my father for the weekend. Our drive home turned into a 5 hour nightmare when our 8 year old daughter had us stopping every 10 minutes for a restroom break. It was Sunday evening so I told my husband this could be a bladder infection and planned a visit with the FP in the morning. At that visit, the doctor ruled out infection with one question and took a finger prick. He left the room. When he came back a few moments later he appeared "ghostly" to me. The words he said next came out in slow motion. "Your daughter has diabetes". It didn't really register because I didn't know anything about the disease. I just knew by his tone that it was very serious. Amanda asked, "Am I going to die".
The next week the family was bombarded with new information and emotions were everywhere. We will never know how or why this beautiful little girl got this terrible disease but we have learned that it will not stop her from becoming the person that she was meant to become. Amanda still excels in just about everything. She is a top notch lacrosse player and lead her middle school team to the championship last season over an undefeated team. Her coach called her 'liquid chaos' because she appears everywhere and shows up where most needed. She also plays on one of the best club lacrosse teams in the country. She is not letting this disease stop her. I always tell her that God must think she is really special to give her this extra "package". Maybe she is suppose to be a role model to others. She is certainly my hero.
Stewartstown, PA
