L iving with D iabetes
Autumn Rivera diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes after life-threatening complication lands her in CHKD’s intensive care unit he first sign of 4-year-old Autumn Rivera’s hidden illness was a sudden constant thirst. In September of 2020, Autumn’s mother, Taylor, became increasingly concerned when her young daughter lost five pounds and began to wet the bed nearly every night – something that hadn’t happened for years. At a visit to her family doctor, a test revealed that Autumn’s blood sugar level hovered near 500, far above the normal range of 70 to 140. Taylor, a medical assistant, remembers the doctor telling her, “You need to take Autumn to CHKD right now. They’re going to have to admit her.” By the time Taylor reached CHKD’s emergency department from their home in Newport News, Autumn’s blood sugar was over 600. Lab results confirmed what the doctors suspected: Autumn had Type 1 diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease where the pancreas produces little or no insulin, a hormone essential for allowing glucose to enter the body’s cells to be used for energy. Left undetected, children who have Type 1 diabetes can
become dangerously ill and suffer brain damage. The complications can be fatal. Like many children carrying this illness but who have yet to be diagnosed, Autumn had developed a life-threatening condition called diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). More than a dozen children come to CHKD’s emergency department every month suffering from this condition, and for many parents, it’s the first indication their child has diabetes. With DKA, Autumn’s body was breaking down fat for fuel, producing acids called ketones. When too many ketones are produced too quickly, they can build up to dangerous levels in the body. She would need to be treated in the pediatric intensive care unit at CHKD and placed on an intravenous insulin drip.
WRITTEN BY Alice Warchol • PHOTOGRAPHY BY Susan Lowe
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Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters
