As a young mom, Jennifer Hess remembered the day that something wasn’t quite right with her four-year-old son, Alex. “He was super thirsty, so he was drinking and going to the bathroom a lot,” she shared. “He also didn't want to walk down the street to the neighborhood pool. Then when we got to the pool, he wasn’t interested in swimming or playing.” At the urging of a friend, Hess took her son to the pediatrician, grabbing the last appointment of the day.
“In the back of my mind, I knew diabetes was a possibility – call that mother’s intuition maybe. When the nurse did his blood sugar check, the meter read 364,” Hess recalled. “The meter in her hand fell to the ground and it shattered. As soon as that happened, I knew it was true. She didn’t even have to say anything.”
They were told to get Alex to the children’s hospital within one hour after declining an ambulance ride. The nurse stressed that the office staff would be letting the hospital know they were on their way and if they had not arrived by then, the office would be turning the information over to the police. “They have to make sure that parents are going to follow through with taking their child to the hospital,” she said. “Sadly, a lot of people don't believe the results, don’t get their child help, and that is how the child gets even sicker or could potentially pass away.”
Upon arriving at the hospital within an hour as required, the family got confirmation of the diagnosis of Type 1 Diabetes, which runs in her family, and Alex began receiving the treatments he needed. The next day, Alex went to the Barbara Davis Center for Diabetes at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. It was there the Hess family learned about the Children’s Diabetes Foundation. Established in 1977, the foundation provides support for patients with diabetes, promotes education, and organizes fundraising opportunities to further research.
“They have advocates who talked to Alex about diabetes and connected him with kids his own age who also had Type 1 Diabetes,” said Hess. “Other parents who were going through the same thing that we were going through or had children who had Type 1 Diabetes for a long time, reached out to us reassuring us that it was going to be okay.”
Fortified with education and resources, Hess and her husband encouraged Alex to live life to the fullest despite his new diagnosis. “John and I made a pact that we were never going to let Alex use diabetes as an excuse to not do something,” she added. “Now, Alex is 17 and he runs full marathons, is on his high school cross country and track teams, flies airplanes, and is going off to college soon.”
The Hess family gives back to the diabetes community through the foundation, too. Alex serves as a peer advocate and his mom connects with, teaches, and encourages other parents whose children have a new diabetes diagnosis.
Each spring, the Children's Diabetes Foundation hosts the Brass Ring Luncheon. This year’s luncheon and fashion show will be held on March 21 at the Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel. Proceeds from the event will provide scholarships for children who have Type 1 Diabetes to attend diabetes camps, sponsor activities for children with diabetes and their families, and promote diabetes awareness and education. It is one of the largest fundraisers for the foundation, with a fashion show among its highlights.
Colorado has one of the highest rates of Type 1 Diabetes in children and Hess encourages parents to know the warning signs and symptoms of diabetes, which include excessive thirst, frequent urination, bed wetting in children who have never had that problem before, fatigue, being lethargic, and breath that has a sweet, fruity smell. She also encourages parents to reach out to the Children’s Diabetes Foundation for support.
“All of us parents who have kids with Type 1 Diabetes, we're in a club that none of us really want to belong to, but yet we belong to it. We all have this bond,” she said. “It does get easier, and I really encourage parents to not let it stop their kids from accomplishing their dreams.”
John and Jennifer Hess own Urban Exteriors, LLC, a Lakewood-based boutique exterior renovation company providing customized designs and services specializing in roofing, siding, gutters, decks and pergolas. For detailed information on services and to schedule a free consultation, visit urbanexteriorsllc.com and follow Urban Exteriors LLC on Facebook or Instagram. Visit the Children’s Diabetes Foundation website to learn more and to purchase tickets for the Brass Ring Luncheon, at childrensdiabetesfoundation.org.
"I really encourage parents to not let [diabetes] stop their kids from accomplishing their dreams."