In today’s episode, I’m joined by Sveltana, a mother who’s navigating the bumps of diabetes management with her 9-year-old snowboarder and athlete. While we do spend some time strategizing management and I talk to this mom about questions she could put to her endo, we’re actually having an important conversation about the values that she might be choosing to center in a life with diabetes.  

When we T1D parents talk about managing diabetes, it’s a delicate dance between maintaining tight control and giving our kids the freedom to just be kids. For Sveltana and her son, sports are a passion. But as she’s learned, sometimes that means the numbers can take a backseat.

What we recognize in this episode is that diabetes management is deeply personal. As Sveltana and I discussed, it’s really about values clarification. What do we want to center in a life with diabetes? For Sveltana, it’s her son’s happiness and normalcy, even if it sometimes means the numbers aren’t picture perfect.

I also talked with Sveltana the importance of giving herself some grace as she figures out how to manage sports and numbers together. Her family is relatively new to this journey, and there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to diabetes. Being out of range but allowing her son the space to play the sports he loves could be a win for them. And she might need to adjust some of her expectations as they continue to learn and grow in managing diabetes.  

Listen to hear more about 

• Resources for personalized diabetes care, especially for those balancing sports and activity.
• Potentially important questions to ask the endo, like about mini gluc, ketone checking and additional basal profiles.  
• Thinking about getting more support — It’s vital to feel free to reach out for this, especially if you’re seeing patterns that you’re not sure how to manage, or that feel scary.
• Family Camp!  Still can’t say enough how valuable this can be to everyone in the household.  

Mentioned in this episode:

Need help getting your kid the right snacks?

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