Lately, Payton had not been feeling

as good as usual. 

   She had been feeling more tired, thirstier, and had to go potty more.

Her mommy started to notice.

     Payton's mommy decided to take her to

the doctor. The doctor was very nice, but he had to do a blood test. Although Payton was scared, she held her mommy's hand, and it didn't hurt too badly. She even got a sticker after

for being so brave!

  A few days later, Payton's mommy took her back to the doctor. The doctor told her that she had Type 1 diabetes. He gave her a special bag with all of the supplies she would need to live

a healthy lifestyle.

  Payton asked her mommy

what this meant. 

    Her mommy said, “Diabetes means that there is too much or too little sugar in your blood. Not the type

of sugar that is in food though. This sugar is a special sugar your body makes. Your body needs the right amount of this sugar so that you can continue to play soccer, read, bake, and do all the things you love.” 

Her mommy also said, “Your pancreas, a little sack in your belly, is responsible for making your insulin. Insulin is a special chemical in your body that helps to lower the levels of sugar

in your blood.” 

Because of her Type 1 Diabetes, Payton was not able to make the insulin her body needed.

So, her mommy told her that she would have to start doing some special things to help manage

her diabetes. 

Her mommy said, “You will need to eat healthy foods, like carrots, lunch meat, and more. You also need to stay active, doing things like running and playing soccer like you already do. You will have to check your blood sugar often and receive insulin every day.”   

To check her blood sugar, Payton would need to make

a tiny prick on her finger with a needle, and then put

the blood on a special paper that would tell her mommy how much sugar was in her blood. If the sugar amount was too high or too low, she would need to get

an insulin shot.

That night, as Payton's mommy tucked her into bed, she told her one more thing. She said, “Payton, diabetes is okay and normal, and many children have it. As long as you do all the things you need to, you will still be able

to do everything you love. You didn't do anything bad

to cause you to get this disease!”  

As the week went on, Payton did everything

she had to do to stay healthy.