First let me share we are blessed to have the most wonderful, loving daughter anyone could ever have. Not bias...lol we were able to adopt this child by the time she turned 14 months old and life proceeded wonderfully for several months. Things proceeded with usual milestones being recorded.learning to talk, to walk, to run, toilet trained, climbing everywhere. Then I began to suspect something was not right.

We saw a little brown-eyed girl begin to slide backwards. She was no longer toilet trained at times. She suffers major mood swings and erratic behavior. Many times we took her to the doctor saying something is wrong but he stated it was just the moods associated with the adoption process. Her belly was always hurting and she was crying a lot. Finally one Saturday morning, she would not wake up for me...She was in a coma....She was rushed to the Children's Hospital, where they worked for a week to save her life.

They informed us she had type one DIABETES... something we knew little about. Life began to change in a hurry. We had to follow a proper diabetic food diet with meals and snacks on time. We had to test blood sugars 4 to 8 times a day. We had to test urine for keytones- a nasty by product that means troubles are at work within the body. We had to learn to draw up air free insulin in needles and give that 3 times a day. We had to adjust to waking up in the middle of the night and testing blood sugars and sometimes feeding her at 3 am. We were warned about symptoms ..what did sweating and paleness mean.? What was the difference between high sugars and lows? What to do in an emergency and how to administer glucagon to save her life. We had to always be aware and know what to do. Life was changing.... forever!

Labs and hospitals became a routine "norm" in our life. Education was on going and the key to our success. We had to help all our kids learn about this and how to help her. We had to help her become independent as much as possible. Nursery schools, Sunday schools, Elementary schools, ice skating times, swimming lessons, music lessons...everyone had to be educated and told how to help her in an emergency.

We thought we had it all figured out when my daughter again started having some stomach problems and pains. Loose stools were always common with her but even more so now. She was very big in the stomach area, wearing large size clothing to fit the belly. Again, I started asking...what is wrong with my daughter. A specialist at the Children’s Hospital asked to do some blood work and then a biopsy on her intestines. This confirmed she had CELIAC DISEASE.

What is celiac you might ask? This is a medical problem where the absorptive surface of the small intestine is damaged or destroyed by the ingestion of a substance called GLUTEN. Long term effects of celiac disease includes cancers, seizures, poor growth and development, and contributes to many learning disabilities. Forbidden foods were to be removed from her diet. I had to start reading all labels as gluten is found in almost all process food. She could not have wheat, oats, barley, rye, bran, triticale.in other words...no more store bought cereals, pancakes, breads, soups, pastas, cookies, cakes, muffins, pizzas, subs, hot dogs, sausages, processed meats and very few restaurants. Life was changing faster than we expected and would never be the same...

Our daughter's diabetes was affected by the change in the food she ate. Erratic high and lows were happening in her blood sugars. Many nights were disrupted by needing to treat her in the middle of the night again. Should she even have a remote pain in the belly, we had to suspect she had ingested gluten somehow. Lapels were always read as they changed without warning the ingredients. We contacted many companies to get gluten free list, only to be informed 2 months later things had changed and she could not have something else. We had to be sure, of what kinds of cooking oils were used. Were the French Fries cooked in oils where batter had been also cooked?

Our daughter lost almost 8 inches from around her middle in 2 months after she was tested and found positive for celiac. The bloating began to go down. We saw a sparkle begin to come again to her eyes. Once again, she began to run, play, and laugh at life...

Did life end with diabetes?
Did life end with celiac?

NO....Life became a bigger challenge ...too learn to take control of your health and be as healthy and well as you can be.

She is in Grade 4, takes swimming lessons and violin lessons and is a Girl Guide this year. She is a leader and not afraid to take on a challenge. She has chosen to take responsibility for herself and we are very proud of her.

To learn more about these diseases, ask your local doctor or health care provider. There are lots more pamphlets available now to read up on these things. Also, use the Internet as I did to educate yourself. Some of our favorite links are as follows:

DIABETES:
www.diabeteshome.com
www.childrenwithdiabetes.com

CELIAC:
www.niddk.nih.gov/health/digest/pubs/celiac/index.htm
www.celiac.com

www.geocities.com/EnchantedForest/Glade/2715
I hope this encourages you all to take responsibility of saying to your doctors...please test and find out what is really wrong... sometimes they do miss and make mistakes but we ,the parent, are the ones who know our child the best. Take a stand if you suspect and have your child tested. Jana Church email at j.church@ns.sympatico.ca

About the Author: Jana Church has been married to Darrell for 25 years. They have two children by birth D.J. -26 and Lisa - 23, married and having her first baby this coming January. They have raised a nephew and niece and fostered 19 years with many other kids and have had whole families move in at different times for special needs. They are now raising their adopted children a daughter - 9 and a son -3. They were babies when they came into the Church household. The family also has a boarder right now (17 yr old female) who needed a place to live until she graduates from High School this year. They have shared their home with over 123 people in 25 years! Needless to say the Churches have a passion for helping people who need a helping hand, and who will take a step to start the process. The family lives each day to the fullest, looking at all things as doors of opportunity to stretch and learn. This year has been filled with learning and living... They feel richly blessed!

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