Nolan – 11 & Ethan – 8

The month of November is recognized as National Diabetes Awareness Month (NDAM). In honor of this special month, this edition of “My Diabetes Story” is a little different! Instead of hearing from just one individual, we’ll be hearing from a set of brothers about what life is like for them living with type 1 diabetes (T1D).

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Our story begins with the all-American five year old boy named Nolan. He was your typical boy who couldn’t get enough of sports and time with his family and friends. The summer prior to Nolan starting 4K was wonderful for him and his family, but as he approached his first day of school, something wasn’t right. Nolan would ask to take a nap in the middle of the afternoon, he started having the occasional accident in the middle of the night(which hadn’t happened in years), and his body was becoming extremely slender. However, even with all of these signs, it wasn’t until his family started noticing the frequent bathroom trips that they began to grow concerned.

Nolan’s mom, Sarah, had grown up with a friend who’s sister had type 1 diabetes. Her son’s symptoms seemed very similar to that of her childhood friend’s sister, so she called the doctor’s office to see if they could help provide her with some guidance. After a brief conversation about what was going on with Nolan, their doctor said, “If your five year old had diabetes, he would be exhibiting much worse symptoms–plus, it’s 90 degrees outside and he’s probably just drinking a lot of fluids.” I was stunned and unsure of what to do next. Our family decided to continue on with our lives, while keeping a close eye on Nolan.

Fast forward to Monday, September 5, 2011: diagnosis day. Nolan’s mom just could not let got of the feeling that something was not right with her son. Sarah called her mother, who is a registered nurse, and her mom suggested that she go to the drug store to buy glucose strips and put her mind at ease. When Sarah returned home and tested Nolan’s blood sugar, she was still shocked that his glucose was through the roof. The family took him to the clinic and ten minutes into the appointment they were told, “Yes, Nolan has diabetes–an ambulance is on it’s way.” Their first few thoughts were exactly what you would expect: how can this be, there is not a history of this disease in our family?!

Nolan’s family spent the next four nights at the American Family Children’s Hospital, under the great care of their amazing staff. Nolan’s mother remembers a moment early on when she asked herself, “how are we going to do this? The answer was easy, though: they had to. The family was determined not to let type 1 diabetes define Nolan. This notion became more realistic as time went on and the family created their “new normal.” This new normal included a community of people that helped support the Pope family during the transition time, the JDRF community. The Pope’s learning about the JDRF Walk to Cure Diabetes (now known as the JDRF One Walk) the same week that they were discharged from the hospital and immediately joined a local team. The Walk provided the family with hope that they needed to move forward and persevere, plus the people that were at the Walk had the added benefit of understanding what their family was going through.

Through the next 5+ year, Nolan thrived in school and sports. He learned how to deal with the highs and lows taking on some of the responsibility for his disease. Nolan’s parents were extremely proud that their son was able to come through so much at such a young age. Then on May 15, 2017, their world was turned upside down again.

The family had just returned home from celebrating Mother’s Day weekend when Sarah went to go check on her youngest son, Ethan, as he was getting ready for bed. As he was changing his clothes, Sarah noticed that she could clearly see many of the bones in Ethan’s spine, which certainly was not normal. She started running through scenarios in her mind and trying to think if anything else seemed off. No other “symptoms” aside from his thin appearance came to mind, so she went about her evening. However, Sarah could not shake the uneasy feeling from before. She decided to check Ethan’s blood sugar, something she has done many times before because the fear of a sibling having type 1 diabetes is always present (in fact, there is a 5% chance that a sibling of an individual with type 1 diabetes will be diagnosed with the disease at some point). Ethan didn’t mind having his blood sugar tested, it was actually kind of exciting for him because he was receiving some of the attention his older bother regularly got. There were numerous times that the family remember’s Ethan saying “I wish I had diabetes.”

When Sarah took Ethan’s blood sugar, the meter read 565. Her heart sank as she tried to hold back tears. Nolan was right there with his mom and gave her a look that she will never forget. After that look, Sarah could no longer hold back her tears and all she could think about was how to tell her husband about their son–she knew it was going to break his heart because their greatest fear just became a reality. They rushed over to American Family Children’s Hospital and spent the next 24 hours there trying to stabilize Ethan’s blood glucose level. So many thoughts were rushing through their heads during this time, mainly focused on if they were going to face all the same struggles faced during Nolan’s diagnosis nearly six years ago. To the family’s surprise, Ethan was calm and cooperative, as if he’d been doing this for years. In a sense, he had been while supporting his older brother, Nolan. Within two days of being diagnosed, Ethan was back on the baseball field playing second base. His parents say that this was a true testament to his spirit and determination, something they are so proud of.

Their parents say that Nolan and Ethan have taught them what strength and perseverance truly is. As a family, they have done their best to live each day as they would without type 1 diabetes. It has never once held either of the boys back from doing what they have wanted to do. Of course the family has had to deal with highs and lows, even getting discouraged at times. Yet, they try to always remember that tomorrow is a new day and in their world, no day is the same. The bond that Nolan and Ethan have has grown even stronger after their diagnosis’ and their parents learn from them and are in awe of them every single day. No matter what, they will not let this disease define them.

Nolan and Ethan participated in the JDRF One Walk – Madison this year with their parent’s company, Servpro. Team Servpro included more than 50 walkers and raised $10,000 to turn type one into type none! You can still visit Team Servpro’s page to learn more about their story and make a donation. Thank you to the Pope family for sharing their story about strength, resiliency, and brotherhood! 

If you want to submit a story about your diabetes journey like Nolan and Ethan, please contact Jen Allen!