When a family member has a chronic condition such as diabetes, things can be challenging for the whole family.  The constant vigilance and stress can tear families apart... or it can pull them together and make them stronger. 

That's certainly the case for identical twins Sydney and Shelby Payne. Shelby was diagnosed with T1D at age 11 in 2004. Ten years later, Shelby continues to inspire Sydney with her positivity and energy in living with diabetes. The sisters played together on Stanford Women's Soccer team throughout their four years at Stanford University, winning 3 PAC-12 titles and the program's first NCAA National Championship. They graduated from Stanford in 2014 and have been accepted to medical school. 

 

We first featured Sydney and Shelby on the Carb DM blog a few days ago, when Sydney shared some thoughts on being a "type 3 diabetic" , along with ways to support a sibling with type 1 diabetes.  Today, in order to really get a glimpse of what it is like to have a sibling with T1D, Sydney shares an essay she wrote a few months ago.

 

I am the Lucky Twin: Why Did I Escape Diabetes?  

 

Last winter break my twin sister Shelby and I went on a run together around 5:00 PM in Florida. We run together almost everyday. 200. This run started off normally, the sun was starting to set and we ran at an average pace through the palm tree lined streets of our neighborhood. Then Shelby stopped. Breathing heavily, she checked her continuous glucose monitor. 84. 

 

This number was perfectly normal, but 20 minutes before she was at 200. 116 points was too rapid a drop for her body to maintain a normal running pace. I waited for her while we rested. After five minutes, she announced that she was ready to resume the run. We started off again. A few minutes later she slowed to a walk and halted. 65. 

 

We were nearing the entrance to our complex. I wanted to get a continuous aerobic workout, so I was irritated by all of the stops. Shelby suggested I go ahead while she waited for her blood sugar to rise, so I took off to finish the run. Not very long after she was out of my sight, I regretted my decision. Was Shelby going to be okay? She didn't have any glucose left to eat. Why did I leave her? I was selfish. I had a gut feeling that she was not safe. I needed to help her.

 

I sprinted as fast as I could to our house. It took about 7 minutes, so I estimated that the distance was about a mile. I knew Shelby would not be able to travel that distance in her state. Sweat was running into my eyes as I burst through the front door. I grabbed glucose tablets and car keys. As I retraced the running path, I spotted Shelby. She was off to the side of the road, crunched up, hobbling, tears streaming down her face. 40.

I shuffled my weak sister into the car and poured glucose tablets into her hands.
"I am so glad you came to get me," Shelby whispered between tears, "I didn't think you were coming back." I felt ashamed. I had let my sister down. I had prioritized myself. Yet all I could do at the moment was help as best as I could to stabilize Shelby and be strong in the face of her condition. The condition she had done nothing to deserve. 

                                  **************

Nine years ago I nestled into bed on Christmas night. I was eleven years old with an identical twin sister in the bunk bed above mine. Shelby was not in her bed the next morning. She had been transported to the hospital in the middle of the night. We were no longer identical. My best friend had changed; she had been diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes.

Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disorder that is typically diagnosed in children and young adults, and has been previously known as juvenile diabetes. In a normal pancreas, beta cells are constantly producing insulin. Insulin is a hormone that is needed to bring sugar, starches and other food molecules from the blood stream into cells to be converted into the energy needed for daily life. In Type 1 diabetes, immune cells attack and destroy the beta cells, thereby depriving the body of insulin. Type 1 diabetics must either inject insulin with syringes or wear an insulin pump for the rest of their lives. They must constantly monitor their blood sugar, and adjust insulin levels according to food intake, current blood sugar, exercise, and other lifestyle factors.

The typical blood sugar level of a human being without diabetes oscillates between 80 and 120 at every minute of the day. No effort is required; the body has an incredible ability to auto-regulate itself through a system involving insulin. Diabetics, however, cannot regulate their sugar internally as they do not produce insulin. As a result, their blood sugar can fluctuate drastically. Above or below the 80-120 range is considered "high" or "low," respectively.

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Happy St.Patricks Day!   

  

Chris Dudley and  

Chris Dudley Foundation