{"id":4113,"date":"2018-08-31T11:02:08","date_gmt":"2018-08-31T16:02:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.osfhealthcare.org\/blog\/?p=4113"},"modified":"2022-02-11T10:05:23","modified_gmt":"2022-02-11T16:05:23","slug":"overcoming-obstacles-small-child-thrives-after-diabetes-diagnosis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/overcoming-obstacles-small-child-thrives-after-diabetes-diagnosis\/","title":{"rendered":"Overcoming obstacles: Small child thrives after diabetes diagnosis"},"content":{"rendered":"

Jarrett Polk was only 2 years old when his parents Matt and Barbara Polk felt something was wrong.<\/p>\n

The signs were there, though subtle at the time.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were at his oldest sister\u2019s soccer game and Jarrett kept asking for drinks and going to the bathroom throughout the game. Nothing was super obvious, but I just had a mother\u2019s intuition,\u201d Barbara said.<\/p>\n

Some of this is familiar territory for the active family of seven. Matt, Jarrett\u2019s father, has battled Type 1 diabetes<\/a> since childhood. In fact, it was their heightened awareness that led to the early detection and diagnosis of Jarrett\u2019s own condition.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe got out my glucometer when we got home and tested him,\u201d Matt recalled.\u00a0 \u201cThe glucometer said too high to read. So we wiped his hands off, hoping he had sugar on them and tested again.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Polks waited, praying anxiously; their hearts sinking when the same \u201ctoo high to read\u201d message appeared on Matt\u2019s glucometer for a second time.<\/p>\n

The diagnosis<\/h2>\n

What followed would be the beginning of a journey to understand and manage Jarrett\u2019s condition.<\/p>\n

A trip to the emergency room, two days in the hospital, followed by a confirmed diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes for Jarrett led the Polk family to the Pediatric Diabetes Resource Center at OSF HealthCare Children\u2019s Hospital of Illinois<\/a>.<\/p>\n

It was there they began to work with the registered nurses as well as a dietitian, social worker and pediatric endocrinologist to develop a diabetes self-management plan for Jarrett.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The family, which includes Jarrett\u2019s older siblings Connor, Hailey and Makenna, worked with the PDRC to learn more about diabetes. Matt and Barbara made it a point to educate their other children. Leaning on the staff and team of specialists they learned more than they ever could imagine.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we talked to the pediatric diabetes resource center we wanted to know how can we make this the new norm; so the other kids don\u2019t feel like their whole world is turned upside down.\u201d<\/p>\n

Strong support system<\/h2>\n

Today, Matt and Barbara are proud to say Jarrett\u2019s siblings are his guardian angels and have become a huge safety net and support system for him.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey can tell if he\u2019s not acting or feeling well and they know how to give him carbs when he needs them. They really watch out for him and Jarrett is very lucky to have them,\u201d Matt said.<\/p>\n

Jarrett, now 6, also is now on an insulin pump, which drastically reduces the number of sticks for him and delivers predictable rapid-acting insulin.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe pump is amazing and we are using a continuous glucose monitor to help us regulate blood sugars as much as possible,\u201d Barbara said.<\/p>\n

Jarrett has learned to understand when he doesn\u2019t feel right and can communicate that to his parents.<\/p>\n

Since his diagnosis, the Polks had another boy, Landon, who is 3. His older siblings, Connor, 16, Hailey, 15 and Makenna, 12, are still his biggest supporters and typically are on the sidelines watching as Jarrett plays soccer and flag football.<\/p>\n

In a twist for the family, at age 12 Hailey was also diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes about a year after Jarrett\u2019s diagnosis.<\/p>\n

Thanks to the help of the Pediatric Diabetic Resource Center<\/a>, and continued advances in diabetic research, the Polk family is managing both Jarrett\u2019s and Hailey\u2019s diabetes and living life to the fullest.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Jarrett Polk was only 2 years old when his parents Matt and Barbara Polk felt something was wrong. The signs were there, though subtle at the time. \u201cWe were at his oldest sister\u2019s soccer game and Jarrett kept asking for drinks and going to the bathroom throughout the game. Nothing was super obvious, but I […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":4116,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[663,116,223],"tags":[142,371,857],"coauthors":[688],"class_list":["post-4113","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-diabetes","category-pediatrics","category-patient-story","tag-childrens-hospital-of-illinois","tag-pediatrics","tag-type-1-diabetes"],"yoast_head":"\nOvercoming obstacles: Small child thrives after diabetes diagnosis<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Thanks to the help of the Pediatric Diabetic Resource Center, and continued advances in diabetic research, the Polk family is managing Type 1 diabetes and living life to the fullest.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, 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