Meet Chandler

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• Birthday: December 21, 1998

• Family members: Sam (dad), Ashley (mom), Sam (brother), Isabelle (sister), and Max (dog)

When were you diagnosed with type 1?

I was diagnosed in March 2006, when I was seven.

What were the circumstances leading up to your diagnosis?

I had been hungrier and thirstier than usual—and I had bad headaches and stomachaches. I went to the doctor for a stomachache, and I was sent to the Pediatric Emergency Room at Moses Cone, where I spent the next five nights (my blood sugar was 800+).

How has your life changed—what do you do differently—since your diagnosis?

I check my blood sugar; I have an insulin pump; and I’ve learned to count carbs. Everything else is really the same.

What’s the best advice you ever received about living with type 1?

Dr. Morris told me that I can still do anything I want to do. It was great advice, and helps me have a good attitude about living with diabetes.

What advice or tips do you share with other people living with type 1 and their families?

Dr. Morris’ advice was really the best: Never let diabetes hold you down. You can do anything you want to do; you just have to be responsible.

Is there anything else you’d like to share?

I took shots for the first three-and-a-half years and then switched to the pump. The pump has made living with diabetes much easier.