For Leigh Sargent, the most precious Mother’s Day gift is having her sons with her, especially now that they live far from their country home. Leigh’s youngest, Brodie, has type 1 diabetes, and Leigh remembers vividly his diagnosis and their family’s path back to normal.

A mother’s instinct

“Living in Mudgee, we struggled to get doctors’ appointments,” Leigh says. “Brodie had been sick for a few weeks but never complained. He was 15. I started noticing he was getting very tired in the afternoons. He was also peeing often and losing weight. I knew something wasn’t right.

“I remember dropping him off to fish with his mates and getting straight back on the phone again to the doctor. Thankfully, they’d just had a cancellation. I told my boss I’d be back later, but I didn’t return to work for 10 days.”

From the doctor’s office to emergency

From that crucial appointment, Leigh recalls, everything became a whirlwind: blood tests, a 1.5-hour drive to Dubbo Hospital emergency department, and further tests.

“Brodie’s older brother, Lachie, googled his symptoms and said, ‘It could be diabetes’. I thought that was unlikely. I thought diabetes was genetic, and no one in our family had it.”  

“Our ED doctor was incredible. He explained calmly and confidently to Brodie that he had type 1 diabetes,” Leigh says. “I was scared but pretending to be calm. That doctor walked me out of the room and said, ‘Everything will be OK’. His reassurance was exactly what I needed at that moment.”

Leigh and Brodie spent a week in the hospital, with her husband and Lachie joining for training. Leigh found this time overwhelming but heard crucial advice from the care team.

“They said, ‘The most important thing you can do is to help Brodie accept it’. I took that to heart. As parents, we worked hard at making diabetes a normal part of our family’s life and ensuring that Brodie lived like every other teenage country kid.”

Adjusting to life at home

Leigh’s hospitality background made managing Brodie’s meals easy. She substituted ingredients, counted carbs, and adjusted their family meals. But she wanted more information about living well with diabetes.

“In the hospital, we heard a lot about what he couldn’t do. Looking back, I wish that information had been more positive.”

Leigh researched online and found locals who knew about diabetes. “I had to face my fears, like thinking that he’d die young. I learned my next-door neighbour’s dad had diabetes and was 80. A friend’s son talked with me about what worked for him, and my chiropractor recommended the Juicebox podcast.”

“Early on, Brodie said to me, ‘Mum, all you ever talk about to me now is diabetes.’ From then, we agreed that I’d text him if I saw his insulin needed correcting or wanted to share information with him.”

A new kind of normal

As the family adapted, things grew easier. Still, for a while, Leigh kept Brodie in sight. When he moved out at 18, Leigh grew nervous again.

“I knew that he needed to, but I was so used to watching him. I used the Dexcom Follow app to monitor him, even calling his housemate once at night. Everything was fine. Now, I let him handle it himself.”

Blazing new trails 

While Leigh still wishes she could have diabetes instead of Brodie, she recognises what a strong, capable, and determined person he is.

“I’d like to think he would have been that person anyway, but diabetes has made him extra resilient. It has also led to some new adventures, which are inspiring others. The next for Brodie is Kokoda as a team leader for the Type 1 Foundation, along with his brother. Thankfully for my peace of mind, there’s also a diabetes nurse on board.”  

Leigh wants other mums of children newly diagnosed with diabetes to know it will be OK. “Diabetes may be a rocky start, but it gets easier,” she says. “I have never wanted him not to do something because of his diabetes. Anything is possible. Maybe with some tweaks, but possible.”