A Day Away from a Coma: A Mother’s Story of a Life-Threatening Type 1 Diabetes Diagnosis
Jennifer Griffin • March 7, 2019
TL;DR
A mother shares the terrifying day her toddler was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes after severe symptoms were missed—leading to dangerously high blood sugar and near-coma. This real-life story highlights early warning signs, the urgency of diagnosis, and how resilience and modern treatment have shaped her daughter’s life over the past 20 years.
Updated: April 23, 2026
Early Warning Signs of Type 1 Diabetes
When we woke up the morning of March 8th, 2006, we had no idea it was going to be such a significant day. Natalie was two and a half years old and was well into the terrible two temper tantrums and potty training. Being that she never left our home without her sippy cup filled with Crystal Light, potty training seemed impossible! She was wetting her diaper every 10 minutes to the point it felt like the diaper was dipped into a swimming pool or washing machine. We did notice she was getting thin, but we figured she was growing up and the growing out would come later. I had no idea she had lost 20% of her body weight. Then she came down with what I thought was the flu. She was throwing up everything she ate or drank, so I figured it was time to see the pediatrician. Now, of course, I see that all of these things
were signs of what was to come.
The Day Everything Changed: Emergency Diagnosis in a Snowstorm
It was a very cold Thursday morning. The last thing I wanted to do was bundle my sick toddler into the car to take her to the doctor. It was starting to snow and a storm was on its way. I took Natalie to the Pediatrician’s office and they ordered a blood draw. The doctor called a few hours later and told us to immediately go to the emergency room. Before we even left home, the nurse called again and said, “if she doesn’t wake up, call 911.” It was a life-changing moment. I remember driving down I-70 in the worsening snow, worried we wouldn’t make it at all if we crashed. We arrived at the ER and the ER doctor told us Natalie had type 1 diabetes. I asked, “Are you sure? She’s been sick and I’ve been giving her a lot of juice.” Little did I know the amount of learning I would have to do!
How Close She Was to a Diabetic Coma
That first day her blood glucose level was 886 at 11am and 664 at 1pm. Numbers I will never forget. She was nearly in a coma; another day and she probably would have been. Her veins were so collapsed from dehydration that it took an ER nurse 3 attempts to get an IV in. She spent the night in the hospital and the next day we met Dr. Phillip Walravens from the Barbara Davis Center. He spent the next 3 weeks on call, day or night, as we figured out how to count carbohydrates; figure out insulin doses, and how to give our tiny little girl multiple shots every day. One of us would hold her down and the other would stick her while she screamed “Help me! That hurts!”
20 Years Later: Strength, Growth, and Resilience
This year it will be 20 years since that terrible, snowy day. Some people wouldn’t want to celebrate it, but we do. We celebrate the doctors that knew what it was and knew to act quickly. We celebrate the
scientists who found insulin and find new treatments every day. But mostly we celebrate every day we have with our girl. She is stronger, wiser and more compassionate because of her diabetes. We celebrate the amazing things we have done and awesome people we have met.
Natalie has grown into a beautiful woman, who faces every day with determination and grace. She struggled with some mental health issues as she began to take on adulthood, but has learned to take one day and one BG reading at a time. She has to advocate for care in a world where very few adult endocrinologists focus on Type 1 diabetes. She is embracing the technology that helps her live, knowing she had a part in making it possible. Most of all she is looking forward to a life where diabetes is just one part of who she is, it does not define her!
