Four of a Kind.

Here we are again, in the throes of diagnosis. Ryan, who will turn 8 in May, has diabetes.

Except, this time, the throes is less of a whirlwind and more of a sigh. A long, sad, sigh.

When Jake was diagnosed 16 months ago, I was surprised. Even though John and I both have it, I always felt that we might get lucky with our kids, considering that it is nowhere in either of our families. I had high hopes for that 17% chance of 'passing it on' that we'd been given. And, statistically speaking, I think those hopes were not unjustified. But it was still a shock.

Ryan, since Jake's diagnosis, has spoken of "when" he gets diabetes, not "if". I never wanted to think that way, never spoke it out loud, but certainly felt like our 17% chance had been blown out of the water by Jake's diagnosis. If it happened, I hoped he'd be older so that he'd have more days with normal blood sugars.

As many of you know, diabetes in an 8 year old is a very different beast than diabetes in a 13 year old. There is much more to process regarding school (we're currently in a mini-battle with the bus driver about accommodations) and much more for me to do. Jake has never asked me to give him a shot or prick his finger, but Ryan needs that kind of assistance. Five days in, though, and he's already successfully tried pricking his own finger.

Once again, we caught it very early. He was not at all unwell, in fact it was just an odd feeling about his sleeping patterns and overall mood that prompted me to test him. We spent just a few hours at the pediatric endo's office, skipping most of the training and just focusing on his starting doses, and then we were on our way.

Ryan's attitude has been tremendous. He was happy when he realized that now he'll get an afternoon snack at school (like his 2 classmates who have diabetes. Yes, both of the kids at his school who have diabetes are in his class. It's a tremendous help.) Before we left for the doc, when I didn't want to say for sure that he had it, he asked me, "what if I have diabetes?" and I said, "well, first of all, welcome to the club!". His immediate response: "can I run for President?"

Obviously he has my vote!