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A Mother and Son Turn a Frightening Diabetes Diagnosis Into a Way to Help Others
Guest Contributor
When 9-year-old Bryant Strong of Lakeland stepped off the lacrosse field after three games in a single Saturday, no one imagined that afternoon would mark the beginning of a lifelong journey with type 1 diabetes. His grandfather treated him to ice cream, a simple reward after a long day of play, yet in the photo from that outing, his mother noticed something troubling. Despite his favorite dessert, his smile barely registered, and he looked thinner than she remembered. Within a day, Bryant would be rushed to the emergency room, where his family would learn just how serious his symptoms were and begin a crash course in life with type 1 diabetes.
In the weeks leading up to his diagnosis, Bryant had been drinking large amounts of water and using the bathroom far more than usual. At school, these symptoms initially suggested something relatively minor, like a urinary tract infection. His mother, Lanette, later compared trying to understand what was happening to looking through Swiss cheese. The clues were there, but the bigger picture remained hidden. It took a sudden and alarming decline in his health, while he was staying at his grandparents’ home, to bring that picture into sharp focus.
During that visit, Bryant struggled to walk and could barely form sentences. Alarmed, his grandmother sought immediate medical care. At the hospital, his blood sugar measured an astonishing 987 mg/dL. For context, a normal fasting blood sugar usually falls between 70 and 99 mg/dL, and 140 to 180 mg/dL after a meal is still within a typical range. Bryant’s levels signaled a medical emergency. Doctors diagnosed him with type 1 diabetes and diabetic ketoacidosis, a serious and potentially life-threatening complication. Staff were reportedly surprised that he was not already in a coma given how high his blood sugar was.
Bryant spent three days in intensive care as his care team worked to stabilize him. Before he could go home, his family took part in six hours of diabetes education that covered everything from checking blood sugar to administering insulin. Lanette later reflected that she did not initially feel as afraid as she might have, simply because she had not realized how severe his condition was. There was no family history of type 1 diabetes, and although his body had been “screaming diabetes,” as she put it, the diagnosis still came as a shock.
Life after diagnosis looked very different for Bryant. Now 10, he remembers the time before insulin injections, when eating was simple and school days did not require ongoing medical oversight. That changed when hospital staff explained he would need multiple insulin injections each day for the rest of his life. He understood enough to know this was not a short-term treatment but a permanent shift that would affect nearly every aspect of his daily routine.
For the first nine months, Bryant managed his blood sugar with sliding scale insulin injections. Eventually he transitioned to an insulin pump, which delivers insulin continuously, and began using a Dexcom continuous glucose monitor to track his blood sugar in real time. Even with these advanced tools, every meal requires planning. His family weighs certain foods and tracks carbohydrates carefully so they can calculate the correct insulin doses. Despite their best efforts, results can vary. His mother has described diabetes as different every single day. The same meal might produce three completely different blood sugar responses on three different days, a reminder that diabetes management often involves uncertainty and constant adjustment.
At school, diabetes care has gradually become part of Bryant’s own responsibilities. He increasingly manages his glucose levels during the day and treats low blood sugar episodes right in the classroom. He has said that this school year is going better than the last, a sign of growing confidence and familiarity with his care routine. Still, not everything gets easier with time. When asked what he finds most frustrating, he points to device changes. Replacing pump components and glucose monitor sensors every few days can be uncomfortable and disruptive, even when those devices help keep him safe.
Bryant does not face these challenges alone. At home, he has an unusual and very special partner in his care: Scout, the family’s goldendoodle. Scout is a trained diabetic alert service dog who can detect changes in Bryant’s blood sugar through scent, often 15 to 30 minutes before technology registers a problem. Subtle behaviors, like full-body stretches or big yawns, can signal that his levels might be rising or falling too quickly. While Scout does not attend school with Bryant, her early alerts at home give his family another way to respond quickly to potentially dangerous swings in blood sugar.
Living with type 1 diabetes as a child also brings social and emotional challenges. Being different in any way can feel difficult, especially in a school setting where routines and norms are so visible. Bryant has dealt with curious questions from classmates who want to know why he needs extra snacks or frequent visits to the nurse. In one case, a fellow student’s repeated comments became particularly upsetting. Although Lanette described that situation as unusual, it highlighted how important it is to help other children understand what diabetes is and what it is not.
With Bryant’s permission, his mother visits the classroom at the beginning of the school year to explain his condition to his peers. She talks about type 1 diabetes, his medical devices, and why he sometimes needs support during the school day. Over time, Bryant has become confident enough to answer many of these questions himself. He tells classmates that he has diabetes and that he often needs snacks throughout the day to keep his blood sugar in a safe range. His family also acknowledges the emotional toll that a lifelong condition can bring. Lanette reminds him that it is okay to feel angry, to cry, and to release frustration about diabetes, and she shares that she has those moments too.
Beyond their own home and school, the Strong family is working to turn their experience into an educational resource for others facing similar scares and uncertainties. Lanette documents their journey on a website called Strong With Type One and on a Facebook page, The Strong Family T1D. There she shares updates on Bryant’s progress, practical information about type 1 diabetes, and the early warning signs that might prevent another family from experiencing the same level of crisis. She has said that if their story can help even one family recognize symptoms sooner and avoid severe diabetic ketoacidosis, then every post is worthwhile.
Through these platforms, they have also connected with other families affected by type 1 diabetes, forming friendships rooted in a shared understanding that can be hard to find elsewhere. These relationships offer mutual support and reassurance that no one is navigating this complex condition alone. Bryant, for his part, continues to embrace childhood on his own terms. When asked what he wants other kids with diabetes to know, he offers a simple but powerful message: stay true to yourself, and remember that diabetes does not define or limit who you are or what you can achieve.