For some people, medical terms can be scary. It can be difficult to accept something they know very little about, such as diabetes, which, according to the American Diabetes Association, currently affects 25.8 million people in the United States. Type 1 diabetes, previously known as juvenile diabetes, is usually diagnosed among children and young adults. In type 1 diabetes, the body does not produce insulin, the hormone needed to convert sugar, starches and other food into energy needed for daily life. There can be several questions and concerns when it comes to being a parent to a child with type 1 diabetes.
"I think one of the major things that rolled around in my mind at the time is 'what caused this?' I don't think there are any definitive answers," said Kellee Strunk, whose daughter, Mary, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 2007 at the age of 5. Strunk added that one of the concerns she had was how Mary would handle this when it finally became a reality for her.

Strunk states that she and her husband did not do much research on the subject because they have access to an "excellent diabetes care center where we were trained one baby step after another until she finally got onto the pump, in which we continued our classes and instruction." However, for some parents, research is a necessity in order to better understand diabetes. Julio Varela, whose daughter Grace was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at age 7, states that they did a lot of research on the subject.

"We did all the research that we could, bought books and we became very educated [about diabetes]. Type 1 diabetes is really cared for in the home or by the individual. You don't have a doctor telling ...