North Dakota Heart Gallery

Beingthe parent of a recently diagnosed diabetic child can be, well…terrifying!

Deb Uglem, Moorhead mom of four, knows the feeling. Her daughter Emily, now thirteen, was diagnosed one month before her second birthday. Deb offers these pointers for parents just entering the diabetic world:

• One of Emily's favorite snacks…popcorn! Three cups has 150 calories and only 18 grams of carbohydrates.

• Fruit snacks don't melt in your purse! The single serving packages they come in make for a great snack during the ‘lows’ [low blood sugar] diabetics sometime get.

• My family stores nonperishable food everywhere! Emily's gym bag, locker, school nurse office, every car we drive, purse, etc…everywhere! Emily doesn't leave the house without food! It helps to be prepared for the ‘lows.’

• Halloween can be tricky [get the pun?!]. The year Emily was diagnosed we started a new tradition. The kids would all go out trick-or-treating and collect as much candy as they could, but Emily would trade her candy in for a trip to Target to pick out a toy. We would head to Target Halloween night and it worked like a charm! The boys ended up trading in their candy each year too. It is nice to not have the temptation of the candy sitting around the house.