I thought it would be nice to start with an introduction to myself and my daughter – my name is Helen but on here I’m also known as DiaMummy! My daughter, Alice, is 2 years old, and has been diabetic since birth and probably before. She has a very rare sub-type of diabetes called neonatal diabetes. It is genetic in nature, but doctors have thus far been unable to identify which mutation she has. The result is that sometimes her pancreas produces some insulin, and other days it doesn’t produce any. This is unlike type I diabetics, who’s immune system attacks the beta-cells in the pancreas which produce insulin, until they are unable to produce any of their own insulin at all. Alice is treated with daily insulin injections, just like a type I diabetic, but the difference is that the number of units of insulin she needs is not directly proportional to the amount of carbs which she consumes. Her condition is 1:500,000 within the population, and there is no familial history of diabetes, so we were not expecting to have a diabetic child by any stretch of the imagination. Despite our daily battles to keep Alice’s blood sugar levels under control, she is the happiest, cutest, smartest and bravest little girl I know, and I could not be more proud of her for what she has overcome so far, and how she takes everything in her stride without so much as batting an eyelid! She gives me the determination to keep battling through everyday, and the motivation to ensure that she never has to miss out on a piece of cake!

https://www.diabetes.org.uk/diabetes-the-basics/other-types-of-diabetes/neonatal-diabetes