Laural's Journey

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Laurel is a typical 6-year-old girl who loves anything pink, Barbies, going to Kindergarten at HES and playing dress up. She has the most creative mind and asks the most interesting questions. She loves learning about new things and always wants to know more. She’s the best big sister to her two younger siblings and is always looking for fun. Laurel loves to build forts with her daddy and cook with her momma. She also happens to be Type 1 diabetic. 

Our Type 1 journey began almost two years ago in January 2021 when Laurel was just 4 years old. She had come down with a viral infection and recovered but never really seemed completely back to normal. She complained of her head and stomach hurting and would often tell us her legs hurt. I would constantly check her for fever, but she had none. I began to think she was complaining to get out of doing certain things like clean up her toys or eat supper. At the end of the month she began using the bathroom a lot. I took her to an urgent care where they diagnosed her with a UTI. A week after being on antibiotics she was still constantly using the bathroom. She began having accidents at night, which was odd, because she had never had accidents before. I began cutting off her drink intake at night before bed to try to help, but nothing seemed to work. Her mood had changed as well. The sweet little girl we once knew had become unreasonable, defiant, and cried at the drop of a hat. Being a preschool teacher, I was extremely worried she had a social emotional delay. Two days before going to the doctor, Laurel was up several times in the night using the bathroom and sneaking water bottles out of the refrigerator to drink. The last straw was when she grabbed an open Pepsi that had been left out and drank the entire can. That morning I knew she had to go to the doctor to be checked out and deep down I knew what was wrong. I texted my husband who was working a 12-hour shift for reassurance that she didn’t have Type 1. I asked coworkers and texted my sister, mom and mother-in-law. They all assured me that she was fine but needed to be checked out just to be safe. That afternoon we headed to Leitchfield Pediatrics where Dr. Stivers checked her urine and promptly told me she had ketones and sugar in her urine. I immediately began to cry knowing what the diagnosis would be. It was April 1st and deep down I kept hoping someone would come in and say April Fool’s…but no one did. 

Her dad and I headed to Norton’s, where we were given a 24-hour crash course in managing a four-year-old Type 1 Diabetic. They told us this was a grieving process, and we had no idea how right they were. Our entire family’s lives have been turned upside down, but God has granted us the grace and strength to pull through, even when we didn’t think we could. Every single day is a constant battle of blood sugars, illnesses, shots, pods, sensors, counting carbs, carrying bags of emergency medicine and juices and finding a balance between teaching Laurel to live a healthy lifestyle and letting a six-year-old be six. 

There are many hurdles that still await us in this early diagnosis, but one thing is for sure: Laurel has all the support for whatever comes her way. When she was diagnosed, every doctor and nurse we met told us how early we caught it and that most come in already in DKA (Diabetic Ketoacidosis), which is extremely dangerous. Our hope is to raise awareness so that the community knows the signs and symptoms of this terrible disease. God has us weather all sorts of storms in order to bring us closer to Him, and this is one of our storms. It will not break her or us but only bring us closer to God. Devin and I are so proud to be this little girl’s parents! She has shown all of us what true bravery and perseverance looks like. We love you Laurel Kaye! 

-Kirby Sebastian

Laurel’s Momma