Frankie-Stein’s Monster: A Toddler’s Type 1 Diabetes Diagnosis Story
Beth Hodgson, Frankie's Mom • October 30, 2019
TL;DR
On Halloween 2016, Frankie’s parents learned their 2-year-old daughter had type 1 diabetes after weeks of increased thirst, weight loss, and bedwetting. Thanks to quick action and trusting both instinct and medical knowledge, Frankie avoided DKA and found support through the Colorado T1D community.
Updated: May 1, 2026
Halloween 2016 is the day our lives changed forever. I know it probably sounds dramatic, and looking back now, I recognize that all of that change hasn’t been bad, but life-changing is the only way to describe it. I’m an RN, and had noticed that our 2-year-old, Frankie, had been drinking a lot of water, losing weight, and had been wetting the bed. I explained away these tell-tale symptoms, as most parents do:
- Of course she drinks a lot of water — it’s the only liquid she consumes, and we don’t limit it because we live at altitude where most people are chronically dehydrated.
- She’s turning 3 soon, she’s starting to thin out and lose her baby chub, so of course she appears thinner. She’s becoming a child, outgrowing that toddler look.
- And finally, she wasn’t potty trained. She must have been exceeding what her overnight diaper could hold because she slept all through the night.
The day we drove from Parker to Colorado Springs, Frankie exceeded the limits of her diaper and I knew we couldn’t ignore the signs any longer.
To be completely honest, I mentioned diabetes to a couple co-workers approximately one month before diagnosis, and they assured me I was just thinking with my nurse brain. Those same co-workers were the first to cry with me and hug me when we got the news.
The Day Everything Changed
On October 31, I went to work and had my husband, Jason, call to get Frankie an appointment with our pediatrician. To this day, I will be forever grateful for the doctors at Pediatrics 5280 in Castle Rock for listening when my husband said: “We need an appointment today because we think Frankie has diabetes.”
They got her in at lunch and never once tried to look for another cause. They did a urine dip and then a finger poke. Jason called me at work. “It’s over 400. It won’t even read on the machine.” I instantly broke down in tears and told him: “I’ll head home, pack bags, and we’ll head to Children’s Hospital as a family.”
Arriving at Children’s Hospital
I remember walking into Children’s ER — they were expecting us. Luckily, since Frankie had visited me when I worked there, she walked in confidently. I, however, was in full hysterics, unable to hold back my tears for even short periods of time. I’ll be forever thankful that Jason was our rock that day. . I swear he wanted to say “Aren’t you a nurse? Act like you’ve been here.”
Huge shout out to the child life specialist working the ER that night — ROCK STAR! She kept Frankie distracted while the RN, dressed as a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle, started her IV and drew blood. Our RN was amazing and got the IV in on the first stick, though he kept avoiding my question: “What is her A1C?” Later, I realized why. It was so high it couldn’t be read on the lab equipment. It was over 15. I had definitely ignored the signs and symptoms.
Avoiding DKA
We waited in the ER for hours before getting a room on the medical floor. Thankfully, Frankie was not in DKA (diabetic ketoacidosis), so she did not need to go to the ICU. Around 11 p.m., we were greeted in her hospital room by a resident in a ballerina costume. If your 2-year-old has to spend the night in the hospital, I highly recommend Children’s on Halloween.
Learning Life With Type 1 Diabetes
We were discharged early the next morning and walked across the street to the Barbara Davis Center for our 8 a.m. check-in. There, we met our amazing care team. It was a whirlwind of:
- Type 1 diabetes education
- Finger pokes
- Carb counting
- Insulin regimens
- Meeting our endocrinologist, Dr. Alonso
We geeked out over upcoming diabetes technology and talked baseball while our beloved Cubs were in the World Series. He also told me I saved Frankie from DKA, that listening to my momma gut and RN brain, saved my kiddo. I’m not sure if I truly appreciated the sentiment at the time, but now I fully do.
Finding the T1D Community
When I say all the life changes haven’t been bad, I truly mean it. Frankie’s diagnosis introduced us to an incredible community:
- The co-workers whose children were diagnosed six months before and six months after Frankie
- The stranger who met me for coffee and talked with me for two hours while I was sleep deprived
- The T1D moms who understand that middle-of-the-night texts are always okay
- The newly diagnosed parents we recognize from across the room
- Frankie’s best friend whose mom also lives with T1D
- The amazingly strong friends Frankie has made along the way
They make sure she never has to go through this T1D life alone. If type 1 diabetes is the hand Frankie was dealt in life, we couldn’t have chosen a better place than Colorado to call home.
