Mia is here to tell other kids about Type 1 Diabetes

As parents, teachers and any grow-up knows, sometimes young people are quicker to take things on board if they are coming from their peers.

That's why the Paediatric Diabetes Multidisciplinary team at Cork University Hospital, with support from the Toy Show Appeal and CUH Charity, produced a series of videos where these young people tell us about living with Type 1 diabetes.

The Paediatric Diabetes Academy features information and advice from Primary and Post Primary students who have been helped.

Here, Mia tells us about living with Type 1 diabetes and what she has learned from the project

Hi my name is Mia Sweetman, I am 12 years old from Cashel in Co Tipperary.

I'm in 6th class in Cashel girls school and I'm really looking forward to starting secondary school in September. In my spare time I enjoy swimming, dancing & spending time with my friends.

I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes on March, 1 2021 when I was just 8 years old. It was a scary time in the beginning because I didn't know anyone else with Type 1 and didn't really know a lot about it either. I had great support from my lovely diabetes team, my family and this made things easier for me.

Tell us more about Type 1 Diabetes

Having Type 1 diabetes means my pancreas doesn't produce insulin anymore so when I was first diagnosed I had to have insulin injections, but now I have an insulin pump that I wear all the time. I wear sensor on my arm which sends my blood sugar readings to my phone. I love that I can check my blood sugar readings so easy and at any time I need to.

To manage my diabetes, I've had to learn to carbohydrate count the food I eat properly this is really important to keep my blood sugars within a normal range. My Dietitian helped me with this. Exercise helps manage my blood sugars too & helps me stay healthy. Having diabetes means things like exercise and days out need a little more planning than before.

For example before I exercise I have to make sure my blood sugars are ok. I have to make sure I have my diabetes kit with me all the time when I'm out too. Sometimes I will have a hypo (this is when my sugars drop below 4mmols). I feel shaky & dizzy when this happens. When this happens I need to have a sugary drink or some jellies to bring by blood sugars back up so it's important that I have everything I need with me all the time. Diabetes means I have to take extra care but I can still do everything I did before.

How did you get involved in this project?

My lovely Dietitian Annelise and my Diabetes Team asked me if I would like to be involved. I said yes and I'm really glad I did. I had the best time and it will help others like me so that's good.

What did you learn?

I've learned a lot from the project. Even though I have diabetes a while now, I still go some new information. For example things about the different food groups & the effects they have on our blood sugars, this was something that I didn't know before.

I've learned that it's a great idea to meet others the same as me, share our experiences with Type 1 diabetes and we can learn from one another too. I got to learn about some of the research that is going on about Type 1 diabetes which was really interesting. I really enjoyed it and learning more about it has improved my confidence. I love that I got to be a part of helping others with Type 1 as well.

Are there any misconceptions about diabetes?

Yes definitely! A lot of people thought it meant I couldn't eat sweets at all anymore and some thought I couldn't eat food with carbohydrates at all either. Mam and I have to explain to people a lot that I can eat foods with carbs I just make healthier choices and carb count them correctly. I was worried too that I couldn't eat sweets anymore but I can just occasionally the same as everyone really.

Another misconception is that people think I got type 1 diabetes because I ate too much sugar, I thought this too at the start but my team explained this wasn't the truth. Type 1 diabetes is an auto immune condition and definitely wasn't because I ate too much sugar.

Some people have said to me that if I change the way I eat then my diabetes would be cured. That’s also not the case there is no cure for Type 1 diabetes but I can manage it really well with lots of care.

Now everyone that knows me well, knows that diabetes doesn't stop me doing anything I can do everything I did before but it does take some extra planning and care but that's okay. I am so used to it now and do what I have to do without even thinking about it.

Andrew is a Leaving Cert student and he tells us about his life with Type 1 diabetes here.

Click here to find out more about the Paediatric Diabetes Academy here!