Mirabel O.

“Hi, my name is Mirabel. I am five years old. I love painting, reading, gymnastics, the color pink, and my twin brother, Luca, of course.
I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes on April 2, 2019. I wasn’t in DKA, but my fasting blood sugar was in the 300’s and my A1c was 9.1. I was two at the time.

Much to my parents’ surprise, the hospital told us I could eat anything I wanted—just count the carbs and dose insulin accordingly. My “meal plan” was 45 carbs per meal and two 15 carb snacks. Even in her sleep-deprived state, this intuitively made no sense to my mommy—my body doesn’t process carbs, why would she suddenly feed me MORE carbs than what I previously ate? Skepticism aside, she watched as they pre-bolused a large dose of Novolog to “cover” the adult-sized portion of pancakes they served me prior to discharge. I couldn’t eat them (can you blame me? I was 2 and had spent the last 2 days in the hospital). No big deal, the hospital said. They discharged me, handed my mom a popsicle, and told her I had to eat it within 30 minutes (otherwise my blood sugar would have plummeted to a dangerously low level on the drive home). My mommy tells me the image of me eating that popsicle as we walked to our car, and the panic she associated with it, will never leave her.

About a week into the “carb and cover” diet, my parents realized there was no way it was the best way to manage this disease. With all faith lost in the hospital and endocrinologists, they sought out their own answers. My daddy found an article in the Journal of Pediatrics entitled Management of Type 1 Diabetes With a Very Low–Carbohydrate Diet, which led them to a book by Dr. Richard Bernstein, a Type 1 diabetic in his 80’s. They read it voraciously. They emptied our cabinets, restocked them with low carb foods, bought R insulin at Walmart, begged my endo for diluted Novolog (and walked her practice and the pharmacist through how to order and prepare it). My mommy spent hours running numbers, analyzing CGM trends, watching Bernstein videos, and reading posts on the TypeOneGrit page.

It all worked! By August 2019, my A1c was 5.4, with 4% low and less than 1% urgent low. My endocrinologist didn’t even know what to say to us. We were only 4 months into our diagnosis, and we were already her most well-controlled patient. Equally as important, the anxiety that accompanied the uncontrolled rollercoaster of highs and lows was essentially gone.

By November 2019, my A1c was 4.6, and has been less than 5.0 ever since. I am happy, healthy, sassy, and thriving. My mom makes all kinds of yummy low carb meals/treats that Luca and I both love!

Our family has had so much support along the way, including from the Rivere Foundation dba LetMeBe83. My goal is to spread LetMeBe83’s message to as many families as possible. In the spirit of helping me pay it forward, please consider donating to this important cause.”