A few weeks Prior to Rachel‘s first birthday she was hospitalized due to an illness that resulted
in her throat almost closing up. She spent a week in ICU. After that time, she was more
susceptible to developing more extreme symptoms from even a common cold. We took many
trips to the hospital. Thankfully, she outgrew this. I think as a result of these trips along with
having to visit the hospital frequently for blood draws for her thyroid checks, she developed a
love for playing Doctor. In December of 2023, at age 7, Rachel was hospitalized yet again. This
time she exhibited signs of diabetic ketoacidosis. She was then diagnosed with Type I Diabetes.
This was an immediate life change for a little girl that has trouble understanding and processing
anything other than what she knows from experience. She went from being able to have any
type of snack or meal at anytime to having mom tell her when she couldn’t eat and what she
couldn’t have. She had to learn that she needed an injection (hokey) prior to eating and another
before bed. She needs to have a sensor (sticker) applied to her arm every 10 days. She needs
to wear a monitor around her neck when playing outside and she now needs a nurse to follow
her around at school. These were all tough adjustments, especially the painful ones (the hokey’s
and stickers), but is able to do it with it becoming a routine. Through it all she still loves doctors
and nurses. Really anyone wearing a mask in a hospital setting is a “doctor” to Rachel and
always gets a big hello and often a hug. Rachel loves playing Doctor with all of her babies and
stuffed animals. She also enjoys big people patients.
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