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My Life As a Pancreas: Reflections On Raising a Child With Diabetes

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"My Life As a Pancreas" is not about the medical intricacies of type 1 diabetes. Instead, it gives you an insider's look at the impact that diabetes can have on the day in and day out lives of you and your diabetic child.

If you or someone close to you has had a child diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, whether it be one month ago or one decade ago, I highly reoommend that you read this book. As the old movie review goes, it will make you laugh -- at the "crazy" thoughts that run through Priscilla's brain (possibly because they appeared in your thoughts as well) -- and it will make you cry - when you read about her love for her sons (because we all check on our children as they're sleeping, if only to kiss their cheeks or poke their fingers).

As a parent of a type 1 diabetic (diagnosed 4/04 at age 6), I thank Priscilla for writing this book and sharing her (and her son's) tales with us. I thank her for not just offering helpful tips (which are useful!) but also for reassuring us that we are perhaps not that strange just because we ask ourselves whether a nosebleed is a good blood check opportunity. And last but not least, I thank her for helping us all realize that we are not alone in our daily co-existence (dare I say "battle"?) with this chronic condition.

This is a wonderful book. Although it is a collection of reflections on raising a child with diabetes, there is a universality to this story which will resonate with many parents. The challenges are daunting. As parents we are all custodians of our children's health, but not many of us have to manage it minute by minute. I appreciate the honesty and warmth of this book and admire the family's spirit.

When diabetes hits your life as an adult it's not easy. But when it hits your life as a child, your whole life changes and that of your parents and your entire family. Priscilla Call Essert, author of this book, knows this full well as she has raised Byron, her son who got diagnosed type 1 diabetes nearly seven years ago (at the time of this writing).

Priscilla's approach is neither nor packed with technicality. Rather, she takes the approach of telling a story: sharing anecdotes in a very easy-to-digest way that makes "My Life as a Pancreas" a very light about a disease that is not so light. Her storytelling exposes the readers (ideally, the parents of a child who has been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes) to lots of accumulated wisdom about things that will likely cross their paths at some point or another. Yet she writes in a way that comes across as a pal giving you good advice not as a condescending know-it-all.

I have LADA (with a pancreas that stopped producing enough insulin at age 30) and found "My Life as a Pancreas" valuable: I would recommend this book to anyone touched by diabetes in any way. Plus its 60 pages will take you no time to read.

This excellent book is a MUST read for all parents of newly diagnosed diabetic children. It injects humor into common daily life situations that can easily be overwhelming. It provides excellent advice and referrals. Most importantly, it relates experiences we all encounter eventually so we know we are not alone in this journey into the world of pediatric diabetes. I just wish it were longer and more comprehensive. I could have read another 200-300 pages.