Childhood Diabetes Doesn’t Slow Laurel Boys Down

	Haden Myrick

Typical boys. Except for two aspects of their lives: Each was rushed to South Central Regional Medical Center’s Emergency Room in critical condition.

At age 1, Haden Myrick had been suffering from nausea and vomiting, which his mother, Shannon Myrick, thought were caused by a stomach virus. But when he threw up blood, she hurried him to South Central Regional Medical Center. He arrived unconscious. Tests revealed that he was suffering from diabetes, although there was no history of diabetes in his family.

Alex Pierce was 4 years old when his mother, Sheila Pierce, noticed that his eyes had a yellow hue and he was always thirsty. He would get hungry in the middle of the night and become very agitated. One evening, he became nauseous and started vomiting. Sheila took him to the Emergency Room at South Central. He was diagnosed with diabetes and admitted to the hospital.

“The people at South Central—the nurses, everybody—were so wonderful,” Shannon says. “Dr. (Bert) Bradford and Dr. (James) Holston have been angels. Haden wouldn’t be alive today without them. I can’t say enough. They saved his life.”

Sheila Pierce echoes these feelings. “The physicians on the pediatric floor were great,” she says. “The nurses were comforting, and they explained things clearly. They did a wonderful job.” She continues, “After Alex was discharged, the nurses would call to speak to him. They spoiled him.”

Type 1 Diabetes
Both Haden and Alex have type 1 diabetes, the form most common in children. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease. This means your immune system—which normally protects you against infection—attacks healthy cells and tissues throughout your body.

	Alex Pierce

“At first we were scared to bring him home,” she says. But she knew that the health care providers at South Central would be there for Haden 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Even after Alex was admitted to the hospital, on a strict diet and receiving insulin, Sheila says that she didn’t understand the severity of the condition. “Not until people explained it to me did I understand how dangerous diabetes could be.”

Though Haden and Alex lead normal lives, attending school regularly, playing with friends, playing sports, riding bikes, hunting for bugs—their lives require strict routines. They must be careful about what and how much they eat.

They both inject their own insulin shots. For Alex, that’s four times a day. For Haden, it’s a minimum of two times a day. “And never later than supper time,” Shannon says.

“I give myself my own shots and it doesn’t hurt,” Alex says. Haden agrees: “It doesn’t hurt.”

They check their own blood sugar, too. Haden never tests his blood sugar less than four times a day, and usually it’s six to eight times a day. Alex checks his blood sugar four times a day at home and four times at school.

Alex is on an 1,800-calorie-a-day diet. His mother says, “He needs to eat vegetables. He loves sweet peas and corn. He has to stay away from starch and from anything too heavy. And he avoids white bread and eats whole wheat or rye bread.”

For Haden, his mother says it’s less about calories and more about counting carbohydrates, and about trying to keep the same level of carbohydrates on time and on schedule. “Haden likes macaroni and cheese, pizza, and broccoli—but only with ranch dressing. He also likes cheese and apples. Sometimes he’ll eat other fruit but he always likes apples.” She adds that Haden can eat almost anything, as long as it’s in moderation. “He can be finicky about food,” Shannon says. “He didn’t like squash; then one day I was cooking squash, and he said, ‘That smells good’ and he ate some.”

“Haden must be ever aware of how he feels,” she adds. “He must be aware of his energy level. We have more trouble with low blood sugar than with high blood sugar.”

Shannon describes a day last April when Haden said that his blood sugar was low. She went into the kitchen to get him something, “And then I heard a thud.” She ran back and Haden was suffering a convulsive seizure. He couldn’t swallow, so he couldn’t take anything by mouth. “I gave him a glucagon shot, an emergency shot that you keep at the house. By the time the ambulance got there, he was coming around. They took him to the Emergency Room and kept him overnight in the hospital.”

Haden had suffered what are called focal seizures. Luckily, it has been two or three years since Haden’s last focal seizure.

“Haden couldn’t talk but he could hear me. So I talked him through it. I would give him some juice with a straw, and he could sip it through the straw. This would bring him out of it.”

Sheila says that Alex’s quality of life has definitely improved. “He has gotten taller. His facial expressions have changed. His eyes don’t get as yellow anymore. He’s energetic and is an outgoing child. He loves pets, especially dogs. He loves being in the woods more than playing sports.”

“A child with diabetes can lead a normal life and can go through the same day-to-day routine as other children,” Sheila adds. “They take medication, but they are not different. They are like every other child.”

“Alex takes care of himself now. He’ll say, ‘My blood sugar is running low,’ or ‘I feel like my blood sugar is running low.’”

Shannon says that she could have been a school aide but she changed her mind. “No other mother is watching their child every minute. But it was a long time before I could let him out of my sight. His friends and the other children have been educated about the signs and symptoms of diabetes. He’s had a couple of good friends since the first grade. They watch him and know what signs to watch out for. Haden’s not ashamed of having diabetes. He doesn’t try to hide it. In fact,” she says, “he called one day at lunch and told me his blood sugar reading and asked if he needed to give himself a shot. When I told him that he didn’t need a shot, he was disappointed. He said he wanted to give himself a shot in front of some friends.”

Haden says that if a friend came down with diabetes, he’d tell them, “Diabetes is nothing to be afraid of. Just be normal and do what you want to do.” Alex adds, “With diabetes, you can still do anything you want to do.”

These two boys are growing up in Laurel, attending school, and playing with friends. As long as they put diabetes first, they will live normal lives.

But it’s not just about the boys. It’s also about Shannon Myrick and Sheila Pierce, two mothers who dedicate themselves to their children’s well-being.

And it’s about the Emergency Room, the Pediatric Wing at South Central, and the doctors and nurses who have made Haden’s and Alex’s lives as normal as possible.

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