Like many of you, Tino has Type 1 Diabetes. Tino is just 10 years old. Tino comes from a big family, Mother, Father, 2 brothers, 1 sister, and a pet dog named Benny. Tino loves to play sports, especially baseball and soccer. Tino has diabetes. Everyday he manages food, exercise and insulin. Tino’s story begins here…

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Chapter 1

One day Tino went to school and walked into class. He wasn’t feeling well lately. He sat down at his desk and put his head in his arms. He felt tired and had no energy. But it was only the start of the day, so he had no idea why he felt so tired. His friend Mouf walked up to him.

“Tino. Are you okay?” asked Mouf.

Tino raised his head from his arms. His face was white and his eyes looked heavy and half open.

“I don`t know…I just want to sleep. And I am so thirsty.”

At that moment, the teacher walked up to the boys and she knew immediately that something was wrong with
Tino. She asked Mouf to hurry and tell the secretary to call an ambulance. The teacher did not know what
was wrong with Tino but she knew he should go to the hospital. Mouf did exactly as she said, and in a few
minutes the sound of the ambulance siren was blaring in the school parking lot. The ambulance attendants
got out of the vehicle and entered the classroom pushing a stretcher. Tino was still at his seat with
his head on the desk. He could hardly lift his head. The ambulance attendants lifted Tino out of his seat
and laid him onto the stretcher. Everyone in class looked nervous and worried for Tino. Nobody knew what
was wrong with him. Everyone followed the attendants to the door and watched as the workers lifted the
stretcher into the ambulance outside.

What was wrong with Tino? Did he have the flu? Did he eat something that made him sick? Was he just tired?

Chapter 2

Tino woke up in the hospital. He was surprised to see his Mom sitting in the chair beside him, and his Dad
standing near the end of the bed talking to a doctor. Tino looked around in bewilderment. Everything was
happening so fast, he had to think about why he was here. He remembered walking to school and sitting down
at his desk, but everything following that was a blur. Tino’s eyes opened fully and his Mom jumped up from her seat.

“Tino! You’re awake! We were so worried about you.” She gave him a big hug.

Tino felt so safe when she hugged him. He was so glad that his parents were with him. Tino’s Dad also came
over and felt his forehead for a temperature.

“Well, at least he doesn’t have a fever.” Said his Dad with relief.

The Doctor still stood at the end of the bed writing some notes but he looked up from his clipboard to
reply.

“Yes, it is good Tino doesn’t have a fever but actually Tino’s condition has to do with something
entirely different.”

Tino’s Mom looked at the Dad nervously.

“Don’t look so worried,” said the Doctor. “Tino is going to be just fine. Tino has diabetes.”

Chapter 3

Diabetes. Tino had never heard of it before. Actually, he might have heard of it but he knew nothing about
it. Tino’s parents knew a little about diabetes because Tino’s Grandmother had Type 2 diabetes. But Tino had Type 1 diabetes. At first, Tino didn’tcompletely understand what Type 1 diabetes was but he heard one word that really scared him, NEEDLE. Tino quickly found out that he would have to take needles. Not once a week, or once a month, or even once ayear….he would have to take a needle every single day of his life. The doctor tried to explain to Tino about Type 1 diabetes but the only words that really stuck out in his mind were needle and injection.

The next few days were a blur to Tino. He had to learn so much so fast. During his stay in the hospital, he was taught how to give himself an insulin injection, how to monitor his blood sugar and he also learned about the importance of nutrition. By the time Tino left the hospital his mind was spinning! He couldn’t understand how one day he was in school like a “normal” student, and now his life had changed completely. This scared him. And it also scared Tino’s parents.

Chapter 4

Tino arrived home and felt so good to be back. He felt comfortable at home. But this time, it was different.
The doctors told him that his life would be different now that he had diabetes. Tino’s parents tried to learn about nutrition while he was in the hospital, so as soon as they arrived home, Tino’s Mom went to the grocery store and bought groceries that would be healthy for everyone–apples, bananas, nuts, milk, juice, and lots of other nutritious food. She knew that her family would think this was boring food, so she decided to plan meals and snacks that were healthy but fun. Instead of plain fruit, she bought vanilla soy milk and made delicious milkshakes with strawberries and bananas. She also mixed nuts, raisins, and dried fruit together for a treat the children could bring to school. She also bought more vegetables like broccoli, mushrooms and green pepper and made a low-fat yogurt dip. Vegetables are always more fun with dip! Tino and family were making serious lifestyle changes that were not only important to Tino, but important to the health of the rest of the
family.

Chapter 5

When Tino went back to school, the kids crowded around him and wanted to hear about his experience and learn more about diabetes. At first, Tino was a bit shy and didn’t want to tell everyone about it. He wanted to be a “normal” kid and continue the life he had before he entered the hospital. But the kids kept asking questions, waiting for his reply.

“So Tino, is it true you have to take a needle everyday?” Asked Lucinda, a freckle-faced blonde girl
in Tino’s class.

Tino looked blankly at Lucinda, who was standing near his desk, amongst the rest of the class.

“Yeah. I heard the needles are really long and you have to stick them in your elbow!” Said Mouf, scrunching his nose in disgust.

Up until this point, Tino had been very serious. But when he heard Mouf’s comment, he laughed aloud.

“Where did you hear that? I don’t stick needles in my elbow! Are you crazy??!!” Tino was still laughing and the other kids, although not understanding exactly why it was so funny, started laughing too.

Soon, the entire classroom was engrossed in loud, silly laughter! The teacher had been at her desk
preparing for class, and listening to the conversation.

“Class. Why don’t you ask Tino to tell us more about it tomorrow? He can do a short presentation. And then
you can ask all of your questions.” Ms. Jones, the teacher, stood up from her desk and walked toward the
group.

“Yeah! What do you say Tino?” Asked Lucinda.

Although Tino felt a little embarrassed, part of him wanted to explain more about diabetes to the class.

“Okay. Tomorrow I will bring all of my diabetes stuff here and you can see it!” Tino looked kind of excited.

Mouf jumped up and down.

“Good! We can watch you shoot up in your elbow!” He said.The class once again broke into excited laughter.

Chapter 6

Tino went home that night and told his Mom about the presentation. His Mom thought it was a great idea. She
said that she would even bake some low-sugar, low-fat banana muffins for everyone in the class. Tino got all
of his supplies and books together, ready for his presentation.The next day, Tino got to school early to
set up. He felt a little bit nervous but was also excited to tell the class about diabetes. When the students arrived, they all seemed really curious and checked out all of his belongings carefully laid out on the desk. Insulin vials, blood testing meter, test strips, insulin pen, books, and sugar pills. He also had the container full of muffins that his mother had made! He showed the class how he checks his blood sugar by giving them a demonstration. He was happy that his blood sugar level was 6.0. Some of the students wanted to check their own but he explained that he couldn’t share his diabetes equipment with other people. Mouf asked if he could taste one of Tino’s sugar pills and Tino agreed that was okay. They were pills made of sugar that helps give you energy, even athletes use them.

The students had a lot of questions and Tino talked about diabetes for about 40 minutes. Then they took a break and ate muffins together. Tino felt good that he had the chance to share his story with other people.

Chapter 7

A few weeks later, Tino was learning more about his body and diabetes and so were his parents. His parents
noticed that when Tino had low blood sugar, he looked very pale and when he had high blood sugar he looked
extremely tired. His Mom and Dad worried about him all of the time …especially when he was on his own at
school. Tino’s Mom had spoken to Tino’s teachers as well as parents of Tino’s friends so they were all aware of his condition. But Tino’s Mom was still always worried! Perhaps this is one of those instances where we can only understand when we are parents ourselves! Tino’s Mom and Dad tried to make sure that they gave Tino variety in his snacks and meals. Tino’s brother and sister loved this as well! The entire family was incorporating positive eating habits into their schedules.

One day Tino’s Mom asked him to describe the feeling when he has low blood sugar, commonly referred to as a “reaction”.

“When I have a reaction, my hands feel a little shaky and it is difficult to concentrate on what I am doing.
Sometimes I can’t focus properly. If I have really low blood sugar, then I just want to rest, fall asleep for awhile.”

“Is it scary?” Asked his Mom.

“Sometimes. If it drops really low, and fast, then it is scary because I am scared that I won’t be able to catch it in time. That can be dangerous. I hope that never happens to me.” Tino said, scratching his head with concern.

His Mom walked over to him and gave him a big hug.

“Don’t worry Tino. We will try and make sure that never happens to you.”

Tino looked up at his Mom with his big blue eyes. It felt so nice to be surrounded by people who loved him.

Chapter 8

One day at school Tino was eating lunch with his friends. Tino’s Mom always tried to pack an interesting lunch for him with a sandwich, fruit and vegetables and sometimes a snack. It was always a healthy lunch and there were times when Tino craved something sweet. This particular day, Mouf had two cupcakes decorated with bright yellow and red sparkles and thick icing. It looked so inviting! Mouf asked Tino if he wanted one.

“Umm…it looks really good. Hmm……” Tino was deliberating.

“I am sure one cupcake will be okay for you to eat Tino! C’ mon!” said Mouf, passing the cupcake across the table to Tino.

Tino reluctantly accepted the cupcake.

“Thanks Mouf!”

Tino and Mouf started eating the cupcakes. Mouf put some of the icing on his nose and his upper lip, like
a mustache! Tino and Mouf were laughing hard and soon Tino completely forgot about insulin levels. The
cupcakes were delicious, cherry flavored with sweet vanilla icing, Tino licked his lips until he felt assured he had devoured every morsel.

An hour later Tino started to feel extremely tired in class. He couldn’t stop yawning repeatedly, so obvious that Ms. Jones asked him if he was okay.

“Ms. Jones, I feel really tired and I am having trouble staying awake. I don’t feel very well.”

Ms. Jones left the class for a moment and called Tino’s Mom. Tino’s Mom arrived shortly and picked him up. His Mom took him home. She immediately noticed he was very lethargic and his movements were very slow.
She took out his blood tester kit and pricked one of his fingers to check his blood sugar level. His level was 21! Tino’s Mom was shocked. She quickly retrieved his insulin pen and gave him some Humalog. Tino was so tired and needed sleep. He ended up sleeping for an hour and a half.

When he woke up Tino’s Mom asked him if he ate anything different at school.

“Yes, I did Mom. I’m sorry. The cupcake just looked really good and I decided to have it, I didn’t want to think about diabetes.”

Tino looked sad as he explained this to his Mom. His Mom rubbed his forehead.

“I know Tino. I understand how hard it is for you sometimes. But these situations can be very dangerous. In this case, you needed more insulin. If you don’t balance sugar and insulin, you will not feel well….like today. Listen Tino, if you like, I will make a treat for you every once in awhile. I will bake cupcakes that will be delicious but they won’t have a lot of sugar in them, and you can give one to all of your classmates so they can try them too. How about that?”

Tino smiled.

“That sounds great! Maybe I can give one to Mouf too! Thanks Mom.”

Tino’s Mom kissed him on his forehead and smiled back.

Chapter 9

Tino’s parents were thinking that Tino might enjoy summer camp. They had heard about a camp where all of
the kids had diabetes. They thought this would be perfect for Tino because he didn’t have any friends who had diabetes like him.

One day at dinner time, they showed Tino the pamphlet.

“Tino. Do you want to go to camp this summer?” His Mom asked.

“Ya!!! What kind of camp? Soccer camp? I love soccer!” Tino was getting excited.

“Actually it’s a diabetes camp, it sounds really fun.” Tino’s Dad said picking up the pamphlet.

“Diabetes camp? I don’t want to go to diabetes camp.” Tino scrunched up his nose in disagreement.

“But honey, you will be able to play your favourite sports there, even soccer! And you can swim and play games with other kids like you.” His Mom’s voice was very gentle and patient.

“I don’t want to go! I won’t go to diabetes camp!”

Tino got up from the table and ran upstairs to his room.

His parents were confused. They thought Tino would love to go to camp. They decided to leave him by himself for awhile. In about 20 minutes, his Mom went upstairs to his room.

“Tino?” She knocked on his door.

“Ya.” His Mom opened the door and Tino was on his bed playing with one of his action figures. He looked very
sad.

“Tino, your Dad and I didn’t mean to upset you. We thought you would like to go to camp.”

“I want to go to normal camp! Not diabetes camp. I want to be like all the rest of the kids at school.”

Suddenly his Mom understood.

“Tino, if you want to go to soccer camp instead, you certainly can. It’s your choice. We just thought that it would be a good experience to meet friends who have diabetes too. We sent away for more camp information
so how about we look at it when it comes, and decide then.” She smiled reassuringly.

“Okay….do you really think they have soccer at diabetes camp?”

“I’m sure they have soccer and lots of other sports too. I’ll find out and we’ll discuss it later okay?”

“Okay Mom.” Tino smiled.

“Now how about coming downstairs and finishing your dinner?” His Mom asked.

Tino got up and was downstairs in a flash, along with his action figure. He sat down at the table and as the
conversation turned to various topics, Tino picked up the pamphlet and looked at the pictures.

“Mom, look! Soccer!”

Tino was becoming more interested in camp.

Chapter 10

Every Saturday morning, Tino played on a soccer team called The Blowouts. Saturday was Tino’s favourite day
of the week because he loved soccer so much. But it was easier for him to play soccer before he had diabetes. He used to just show up to the game in his uniform and play. That was easy. Now he had to make sure he had snacks and monitor his blood sugar. What a pain! But when he played soccer, he could forget about everything and just enjoy the game. His Mom always came to his games. She liked to watch him play but she also worried about his blood sugar.

One day during one of Tino’s games, his Mom noticed that Tino seemed a little quiet during a break.

“Tino, are you okay? Did you eat your snack?” His Mom asked.

“Yes Mom, I ate my snack. I’m just a little tired today.” Tino looked back towards the field.

“Okay, be careful.”

Tino’s Mom was always telling him to be careful. She said it so often that sometimes he just rolled his eyes in response. The whistle blew and the game continued. Tino was a fast runner so he often had control of the ball but this time, he seemed to be really lagging behind the others. His Mom noticed right away. She got up to say something to the soccer coach. But then she saw Tino waving his arms to call over the coach. The coach called for a time-out. Tino and the coach walked off the field towards the sidelines. His Mom could see that Tino was talking to the coach and they headed straight towards his cooler packed with emergency snacks. His Mom caught up to them and she knew that Tino needed a snack.

“You can sit with Tino while he has a snack. I have to get back to the game. Tino, take your time!” Said the
coach as he walked back towards the field.

Tino opened the cooler and chose a juice box and crackers. Tino and his Mom sat in silence watching the game as Tino finished his snack. Tino’s Mom was so proud of him. Tino knew that he needed sugar and he stopped playing because he knew if he played on, the situation would get worse. After about 15 minutes, Tino felt better and joined the game again. The Blow-outs won 4-2!

“Tino, I’m so proud of you!” Said Tino’s Mom after the game.

“Mom, I didn’t want to stop playing soccer to eat a snack because I didn’t want to miss the game. But I knew I had to.”

“Oh Tino, good for you. I know these situations are difficult. You handled it like a real champ!” She said as she gave him a hug.

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