05/19/2026
This is such a heartbreaking and powerful reminder of how quickly Type 1 Diabetes can turn into a life-threatening emergency. Knowing of this family makes this hit even harder. We live with this same fear every single day with our son, Julian.
As I read her words, I am sitting here in tears because every parent of a child with Type 1 knows this nightmare is always in the back of our minds. No matter how experienced you are, no matter how careful and vigilant you are, diabetes can still do something terrifying without warning. It is relentless and unpredictable.
What happened to London was not because her parents did anything wrong. In fact, they did everything exactly right. They heard the alarm, treated the low, recognized the seizure, administered glucagon immediately, and saved their daughter’s life. Their quick thinking and preparedness are the reason London is here today asking if the firemen were cute.
Stories like this are a sobering reminder to all of us in the Type 1 community: always carry glucagon and know how to use it. Having to use it is not a sign of failure. It is a sign that you were prepared for one of the scariest realities of this disease.
My heart goes out to this incredible family. I am so grateful London is okay, and I am holding my own children a little tighter today. Type 1 Diabetes is exhausting, relentless, and sometimes terrifying, but sharing these real and raw experiences helps all of us feel less alone.
My hands are still shaking as I write this and it was the most terrifying night of my entire life. Last night at 1:30 am London had a seizure due to low blood sugar. I heard her low alarm going off and I had treated the low twice and went to sleep once I knew she was safe. A little while later I woke up to her screaming in her sleep. When I checked on her I couldn’t wake her up and she was shaking and screaming and was combative. We grabbed the test kit and tried to give her fast acting sugar but she wasn’t able to swallow. Finger prick showed “lo” on our meter so I grabbed the G-Voke immediately and gave it to her while my husband called 911. I think that was the longest 2 minutes of my life while we waited for the glucagon to save her life. She stopped seizing and started to wake up and then the paramedics arrived. Her blood sugar was up to 74 within 5 minutes but she was still very out of it and confused. After being assessed we decided not to go to the hospital because she was stable enough and we know what to do in this situation.
So how did this happen?! We are not new to T1D after 10 years but this is the first time we have used glucagon and her first seizure due to low blood sugar. I know we did nothing wrong or negligent and yet my this still happened. We are on a work trip/mini vacation and London swam all day at the pool. At dinner she had more carbs and insulin than she usually does and Dexcom randomly had a sensor error. When I tested she was higher than normal so I dosed her and she finished dinner. Dexcom came back on and I tested and it was accurate. There was no mistake, no warning, nothing unusual. Type 1 Diabetes doesn’t play nice or care if you do everything perfect. Maybe it was the prolonged activity from swimming all day combined with the correction and the Dexcom sensor error. The thing is that we did everything right. We are on top of it and I feel guilty and upset that this happened. I know it wasn’t anyone’s fault but it just hit me like a ton of bricks.
London is ok. She’s tired and the glucagon made her feel very nauseous and she threw up. Then she asked if the firemen were cute so I knew she was ok lol.
My husband and I are shaken up. Watching your child have a seizure due to low blood sugar is something that will stick with you. London’s older brother helped us when she was having the seizure too and he definitely felt how serious this was. It was traumatic watching her go through this and feeling so helpless.
Sharing this because it’s real and raw and a great reminder to always always always have your glucagon with you. You never know when you might need it and using glucagon doesn’t mean you did anything wrong. This disease is relentless and terrifying.
