Type 1 Diabetes, or Dog Allergy?

A few days ago, one of the boys in our neighborhood came over to play with my six-year old son, Sacha, and our black lab, Molly.

Unfortunately, the boy was allergic to dogs, and by the next day, he’d developed an uncomfortable rash around his mouth. He’s even more allergic to cats, so his parents are going to have to give away their long-time pet. It’s breaking their kids’ hearts. 

A few days later, as I was doing a particularly painful insertion of his pump set, Sacha began to cry, saying he hated his diabetes.

Knowing how much Sacha loves our dog Molly, I asked him, “if you had to decide, would you rather have diabetes, or would you rather have an allergy to Molly?”

Sacha didn’t hesitate for a moment: “Diabetes,” he said firmly.

Hmm. Does that help?

James Ron

James Ron is an American, Israeli, and Canadian academic, whose son, Sacha, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 2009 at the age of two. Until then, James had never heard of the disease. Today, James is a member of the scientific and advisory group of Life for a Child, an Australia-based charity that supplies insulin and other diabetes supplies to children and youth in the developing world. James teaches international affairs and human rights at the University of Minnesota, and lives in Minneapolis with his wife, Emma, and their two children, Tessa and Sacha.

James Ron

James Ron is an American, Israeli, and Canadian academic, whose son, Sacha, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 2009 at the age of two. Until then, James had never heard of the disease. Today, James is a member of the scientific and advisory group of Life for a Child, an Australia-based charity that supplies insulin and other diabetes supplies to children and youth in the developing world. James teaches international affairs and human rights at the University of Minnesota, and lives in Minneapolis with his wife, Emma, and their two children, Tessa and Sacha.