1 year, over 3000 finger pricks, approximately 200 pump site changes, probably nearing 100 sensor changes and i honestly couldnt count the hours in lost sleep BUT we're lucky!

We are lucky that Rebekah survived and that our wonderful NHS provides technology and treatment to manage Type 1 diabetes. So when shes screaming cause she doesnt want another needle inserted into her already sore skin and shes looking at me asking why and yelling NO, im grateful she can ask the question and protest in her loudest voice.

The 17th of August 2017 was the single scariest, worst day of my life and only now, 1 year on can i show emotion about it. Having pushed a GP for a blood glucose test we were sent directly to the Childrens Ward, my 22 month old baby girl lying in my arms barely able to open her eyes, vomiting and weighing a tiny 7.4kg - thats 17lbs to you and I. Very quickly she was diagnosed and put into High Dependancy in severe Diabetic Ketoacidosis. For some unknown reason her body attacked the beta cells in her pancreas that are responsible for producing the hormone Insulin. Insulin is required to transport glucose to all the cells in our body, especially the brain as glucose is its only source of energy. As she had little to no insulin her cells were not getting the glucose they required and glucose was piling up in her blood stream. As a survival response her body then started to breakdown other products in order to get glucose, however a by-product of this process is the production of Ketones. Ketones turn the blood acidic and can cause death. The body trys to eliminate ketones by peeing ALOT and by exerted breathing. Rebekah had been drinking and peeing excessively causing dehydration and I listened to what i now know to be Kassumal breathing the whole night before. She was a very ill little girl.

Rebekah made no attemp to fight doctors getting lines into her arms although very difficult as she had essentially shrunk due to being so dehydrated. In HDU she was given fluid slowly to rehydrate her but not allowed to drink anything. A major concern of DKA is cerebal odema. When the body is so dehydrated, it looses electrolytes like potassium too so rebalancing has to be done slowly to avoid fluid to build up in the brain. She was also given insulin and monitored hourly. Whilst still very ill it really didnt take long for the fluids and insulin to take effect. She was then very capable of protesting at all the blood draws and giving her nurse Claire very dirty looks.

Initally i refused all food and drink as i didnt want to leave her, not even to use the loo but i was very grateful to the nurse who made me a coffee and some toast - with lurpak! at 5am.....18 hours after admission.

For the days that followed, her medical team were fantastic at explaining everything, supporting us and allowing me to be involved in her care which was really important for me. We've had a good 5 or 6 admissions since diagnosis and the ward staff have been on the end of a phone during the night or at weekends when her equally wonderful diabetic team have been unavailable

I would really like to thank everyone for everything by raising some funds and donating some toys to the ward fairy box in celebration of Rebekahs "diaversary"