7-year-old overcoming T1D struggles with a positive attitude
CHUBBUCK, Idaho (KIFI) – Diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes at just 18-months-old, 7-year-old Romey is finding unique ways to deal with this uncommon, chronic disease.
T1D is diagnosed when the pancreas fails to make insulin in the body. Unlike Type 2 Diabetes, Type 1 has no true explanation as to why it happens, it just can. Currently, there is no cure or prevention to Type 1.
The most common symptoms of T1D are increased appetite, thirst and urination. The symptoms can be so mild that it often can go undiagnosed and unrecognized for some time.
Romey has lived with the disease for as long as she can remember. Being the first child, Romey's parents, Michael and Jeminee Ternus, have learned to navigate both parenthood and T1D at the same time.
What they say started as a very difficult experience has taught them to love their lives even in the hardest moments.
Diabetics depend on insulin and tracking their blood sugars to ensure they remain healthy. Many can get their insulin through shots or a pump, like an Omnipod, or as Romey likes to call it, her "princess patch."
Although Romey is different than most kids, she is not letting her disease define her.
Her parents say she has been able to teach them so much as she navigates her life with a positive attitude.
Jeminee has now written a book inspired by their experience called 'You are a Match for your Mountain.' She describes it as, "A children's book for adults," and it, "Takes you through the journey of what it feels like to feel so daunted by the trial, or the mountain that you're faced with, and then as you walk through the seasons and different phases of life you realize you've made it to the top of the mountain but just by the small steps along the way." It is set to be published in the fall.
