It’s back to school season and parents all around the U.S. are sending their kids off to school with the proper supplies. For some kids, those supplies could mean life or death.
This includes children with food allergies or diabetes.
So that’s why Lauren Rowe makes a “diabetes box” for her daughter Leah at the start of every single school year. Leah has Type 1 diabetes, also known as juvenile diabetes.
According to the Mayo Clinic, Type 1 diabetes is a chronic condition where your immune system destroys the cells in your pancreas which reduces or prevents the body’s ability to produce insulin, which is needed to allow sugar, or glucose, to reach your cells to produce energy.
Type 1 diabetes can cause damage to parts of your body and can be life-threatening. Since Type 1 diabetes has no cure it has to be closely maintained through a proper diet, insulin, and lifestyle to ward off any complications.
Since schools and child care providers aren’t always trained in how to treat and care for children with diabetes, it’s up to parents to make sure they have all of this information.
Rowe came up with an ingenious method for doing this. Her diabetes boxes are filled with everything her daughter will need to maintain proper glucose levels, including glucose gel, glucose tablets, and snacks, like peanut butter and crackers and juice, for when she has high or low blood sugar.
She places ones in every single classroom her daughter goes into and has a has a special box for the nurse’s office which includes a Glucagon pen, or G-Pen, which is to be used in extreme situations where there is a severe hypoglycemic reaction.
The box also includes a photo of her daughter, explicit details about her daughter’s condition, emergency contact information, and instructions on what to do if her blood sugar gets too high or low.
She posted a photo of her the diabetes box on Facebook where it went viral and got more than 39,800 shares.
“That time of year again. Here is Leah’s Diabetes Box! I put one in every classroom she goes to. It’s great for substitutes,” her post read. “It has glucose tabs and snacks for high and low blood sugar. And the Nurse’s box with the Glucagon pen is clearly marked. Please share with all of your friends who have kids with special needs!”
Many have praised Rowe for her clever upgrade of the American Diabetes Association’s “low box.” Scary Mommy also suggests creating similar boxes for children with asthma, food allergies, or epilepsy and giving these “low boxes” to everyone who cares for your child, including their bus drivers or coaches.
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