It's all about compassion and communication

"Maya was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes on Aug 3rd, 2017. It was two weeks before her first day in 5th grade. She has two weeks to prepare for a whole new life not only at school but in everything she does for the rest of her life.

At the time of her diagnosis, we were living in Austin Tx and in October 2018, we moved to San Antonio. Maya started 6th grade at Barbara Bush MS, and it was a significant change again. The school is bigger than her last middle school, a new schedule, new friends, a new place and most definitely in a new city. It was quite a lot to see how her glucose level change from normal to high or low.

On the first day of school, meeting Mrs. Arbeiter and later on, meeting more of Barbara Bush staff has made me feel more at ease when Maya is at school. We communicate and help each other keep Maya safe and well to continue her education and have a good experience; we are a team!

Type 1 diabetes is a chronic disease that is often misunderstood. The symptoms a person experience aren't always noticeable to others. There are approximately 1.25 million Americans with Type 1 diabetes but even with a significant amount in the United States doesn't make it enough for Americans to know what a person with diabetes goes through every day and every time the person is going to eat, do a sport or even go somewhere. As a matter of fact, we were one of those families that didn't know about type 1 diabetes until Maya was diagnosed. We feel it is important to give awareness and support organizations like JDRF for a cure."